Issues and Debates

Issues and Debates

• Nature vs Nurture

• Free Will vs Determinism

Nature

• Innate influences and genetic factors

• Nativists argue all human characteristics are innate

• All behaviour is a product of biological factors

• Behaviour that promotes survival are passed on

Nature Support

• Supported by biological approach- support from twin studies

Nurture

• Enviornmental influences are aqquired through interactions

• Empiricists argue we are born a blank slate at birth

• All behaviour is shaped by experience

• All behaviour is a product of learning

Nurture Support

• Supported by behavioural approach - classical conditioning, operant conditioning and social learning theory

Interactionism (Nature/Nurture)

• Suggests nature and nurture work together for behaviour

Interactionism (Nature/Nurture) Support

• Supported by psychodynamic approach - innate instincts and drives of psychosexual stages but upbringing and experience determines how we move through them

• Supported by cognitive approach - innate abilities and capabilities for information processing but schemas are based on experience

• Supported by humanistic approach - social enviornment factors combined with basic physiological drives and needs to contribute to self actualisation

Nature/Nurture Strengths

Supporting research evidence (nurture) - Bandura’s bobo doll found that children repeat aggressive behaviour seen in adult role models + there were some nature differences ie in gender

Supporting research evidence (nature) - Holland’s twin studies found 56% concordance for anorexia in MZ twins, only 5% in DZ + however, not 100% so must have some enviornmental influences

Nature/Nurture Weaknesses

• Contradicting research evidence - Maguire found taxi drivers have enlarged hippocampi based on experience, showing influence of nature and nurture

Free Will

• Human beings are free to choose their thoughts and actions

• Our actions are voluntary and we have freedom of choice

Free Will Support

• Supported by humanistic approach - humans are qualitatively different so can only be seen individually

Determinism

• Suggests every event has a cause

• Factors can be identified and explained

• Hard determinism - free will is not possible

• Soft determinism - people have some conscious control over behaviour

Determinism Support

• Supported by biological approach (biological determinism) - all behaviour is caused by internal body activity such as genes, evolution, neurochemistry anf brain structure

• Supported by behavioural approach (enviornmental determinism) - all behaviour is learned through experience, such as classical and operant conditioning and social learning theory

• Supported by psychodynamic approach (psychic determinism) - all behaviour is caused by unconscious instincts and drives, such as id, ego and superego

Free Will/Determinism Strengths

• Positive implications for society - free will gives the impression of control, Roberts found internal LoC had better mental health compared to extrenal LoC who were more likely to develop depression, showing positively impacts mental health

• Supporting research evidence - Libet et al found brain parts involved in movement become active before the person decides so, suggesting free will is an illusion

Free Will/Determinism Weaknesses

• Negative implications for society - Determinism could provide an excuse for immoral behaviour, eg Steven Mobley pizza shop killer, may lead to issues surrounding criminal responsibility

Levels of Explanation

• Hierarchy for explaining human behaviour

• Low levels provide extreme reductionist explanation

• High levels provide most holistic explanation

Reductionism

• Simplifies all human behaviour to one factor

Low Level Reductionism Support

• Biological approach (biological reductionism) - assumes all human behaviour can be explained by internal bodily activity

Mid Level Reductionism Support

• Cognitive explanation (machine reductionism) - assumes all human behaviour can be explained by internal mental processing

• Social learning theory (enviornmental reductionism) - assumes all human behaviour can be explained by enviornmental experiences

Holism

Assumes all human behaviour can be explained by considering the whole person

High Level Holism Support

• Humanistic approach

Reductionism/Holism Strengths

• Explain complex behaviour - holism explains all social behaviour not just individual members eg Stanford prison experiment

• Practical applications - reductionism identifies clearly defined variables which can be measured objectively, leading to treatments, ie depression low serotonin leads to antidepressants + however, these may be ignoring root causes and other factors - limited

Reductionism/Holism Weaknesses

• Hard to test - holism does not establish cause and effect relationships as it does not examine operationaliser variables - unscientific