Nature-Nurture

what is the nature-nurture debate?

Concerned with the extent to which aspects of behaviour are a product of inherited or acquired characteristics

define hereditary

The genetic transmission of both mental & physical characteristics from one generation to another

define environment

Any influence on human behaviour that is non-genetic such as prenatal influences in the womb or cultural/historical influences at a societal level

define interactionist approach

A way to explain the development of behaviour in terms of a range of factors including both biological & psychological ones which interact

The nature-nurture debate seeks to answer the question of …

whether behaviour is more influenced by nature or nurture

The nature-nurture debate seeks to answer the question of whether behaviour is more influenced by nature or nurture; however…

any behaviour/characteristics arises from a combination of both

The diathesis-stress model suggests…

behaviour is caused by a biological/environmental vulnerability which is only expressed by coupled with a biological/environmental trigger

what are examples of the diathesis-stress model?

• The diathesis-stress model suggests that genetic vulnerability to OCD is passed through families but environmental triggers trigger the condition.

• Sexual motivation is controlled by hormones, but the release of these hormones to become sexually aroused is triggered by environmental factors.

Epigenetics refers to…

a change in our genetic activity without changing the genes themselves

epigenics happens as a result of …

interaction with the environment

epigenetic changes may go on and…

influence the genetic codes of offspring

Psychologists who argue the nature side of the debate are…

nativists

nativists argue that…

human characteristics, and some aspects of knowledge, are innate - the result of heredity (the genetic transmission of mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another)

what are examples of nature in psychological research?

• Bowlby’s theory of monotropy states that attachment is innate and gives a survival advantage.

• OCD can be explained as an abnormality in the frontal lobes of the brain; this area is responsible for logical thinking & decision making and the processing of unpleasant emotions.

Psychologists who argue the nurture side of the debate are…

empiricists

empiricists argue that…

the mind is a blank slate at birth upon which learning and experience writes itself and our behaviours are the result of the environment (prenatal terms e.g. the mother’s physical and psychological state during pregnancy & postnatal experiences e.g. social conditions a child grows up in and the cultural context they are part of)

what are examples of nurture in psychological research

• Learning theory uses operant conditioning to explain that babies cry in order to receive food, this leads them to being fed so crying is reinforced & repeated.

• The two-process model of phobias explains that they are acquired through associating something we have no fear of with something that already triggers an anxiety response. These responses are then maintained through avoiding a phobic stimulus so fear reduces which makes a person avoid the phobic stimulus which leads to the phobia being maintained.

explain the nature-nurture debate has been investigated through adoption studies

• adoption studies are useful because they separate the competing influences of nature & nurture

• If adopted children are found to be more similar to their adoptive parents this suggests that the environment is the bigger influence, whereas, if adoptive children are more similar to their biological parents then genetic factors are presumed to dominate

• A meta-analysis of adoption studies found that genetic influence accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression

• This shows how research can separate the influences of nature and nurture.

explain research suggests that this approach may be misguided as nature and nature are not two factors that can simply be separated

• One psychologist stated that people create their own nurture by actively selecting environments that are appropriate for their nature - this is called niche-picking; a naturally aggressive child is likely to feel more comfortable with children who show similar behaviours

• This suggests that it does not make sense to look at evidence of either just nature or just nurture.

explain there is support for epigenetics

• WW2 demonstrates how environmental effects can span generations

• The Nazis blocked the distribution of food to the Dutch 22,000 died of starvation - women who were pregnant during this period were likely to give birth to low birth weight babies who were twice as likely to develop schizophrenia compared to more typical population types

• This supports the view that the experiences of previous generations can leave epigenetic markers that influence the health of offspring.

explain the nature-nurture debate has real-world application in the understanding of OCD

• research suggests that OCD is a highly heritable disorder

• Such understanding can inform genetic counselling - it is important to understand that high heritability does not mean inevitability of developing the disorder

• This means that people who have a high genetic risk can receive advice about prevention.

• Shows that the debate is important, not just theoretically but that it is important at a practical level to understand the interaction between nature and nurture