Nature vs Nurture

Define nature

. Behaviour is a product of genetic or innate biological factors

Define heredity

. The process where traits are carried down from one generation to another

. AKA genetic inheritance

Define nurture

. Behaviour is a product of environmental influence

Define environment

. Any influence on human behaviour that is not genetic

. E.g. environment in the womb, culture, historical influence

Define the interactionist approach

. Both nature and nurture interact and work together to shape human behaviour

Define the diathesis stress model

. Theory that attempts to explain the cause of a disorder through an interaction between a pre-dispositional vulnerability and a stressor in the environment

Define neural plasticity

. Brains tendency to change and adapt functionally and physically as a result of experience and learning

Research supporting nature

. Attachment - Bowlby

. Schizophrenia - Gottesman

Research supporting nurture

. Attachment - classical conditioning

. Schizophrenia - Bateson et al - double bind theory

What is gene environment interaction?

. Interplay of genes and the physical and social environment

What is passive gene environment interaction?

. Parents contribute to child’s development by passing on their genes and providing and environment for genetic predisposition to grow

What is evocative gene environment interaction?

. Heritable traits influence the reaction of others creating an environment provided by others

What is active gene-environment interaction?

. Childs inherited traits lead them to make choices in their environment

. AKA niche picking

What is the evaluation of NvN

. It is too complex to separate the debate - Plomin - Tienari

. Nurture can impact nature - Maguire et al

. Interactionist approach is more useful

Plomin…

. Suggested idea of ‘passive influence’ (parents genes determine aspects of child’s environment)

. E.g. parent has genetically determined mental illness which could create an unsettled home environment - leading to the child developing the disorder

Tienari…

. Finnish adoption study

. Children from schizophrenic mothers adopted into healthy families - incidence of 5.8%

. Children raised in dysfunctional families - 36.8%

Maguire et al…

. Hippocampi size in London taxi drivers

. Found that it was larger in taxi drivers

. Rigorous training including learning and recalling all London streets and routes as well as experience in driving the taxi influenced size of hippocampus