Nature vs Nurture

What is the nature vs nurture debate about?

• The extent to which behaviours are due to the influence of nature (biology/genetics) or nurture (experiences/learning/environment)

The relative importance of hereditary factors

• Biological psychologists include learning in their theories

• They recognise the interaction between biological processes and environmental factors (driven by inherited genes)

• Behaviourists include biology in their learning theories

• They recognise that primary reinforces like food and sex are intrinsic and biological

What is empiricism?

• An argument developed by John Locke

• The argument that knowledge comes from experience and observation rather than being inborn

• Locke described the mind at birth as “tabula rasa”- blank slate which is shaped and filled through experiences

• Therefore suggesting that all knowledge and understanding are gained through the environment

Psychological theories close to the nature perspective

• Genetic explanations for OCD- suggests that individuals may inherit a vulnerability to OCD

• MAOA gene theory of aggression- suggests that the ‘warrior gene’ variation found in 1/3 of western en is linked to aggressive behaviour

• Genetic basis of schizophrenia- suggests schizophrenia is hereditary as people with a close genetic relative with schizophrenia are at an increased risk of inheriting it

• Bowlby’s monotropic theory- claims that for survival babies are born with the innate need to form an attachment to their primary caregiver

• Evolutionary theories- these include explanations for mate selection and aggression, suggesting that certain behaviours are coded genetically and are adaptive, and therefore are selected carefully and passed down through generations

Psychological theories closer to the nurture perspective

• Cupboard love theory of attachment- Babies develop an attachment to their mothers primarily because mothers provide food- formed via association between mother and the satisfaction of basic needs

• Ainsworth’s attachment styles- suggests secure and insecure attachment styles develop from the mother sensitive responsiveness to the child’s needs

• Behaviourist theories on phobias- phobias are acquired via associative learning- traumatic experience- a neutral stimulus becomes associated with with fear

• SLT- includes theories on gender identity eating behaviour and he effects of media on aggression- suggests that behaviours are learned though observation and imitation of others especially significant role models

• Cognitive theories- suggests that people acquire schemas- has been used to explain forensic psychology and depression

The interactionist approach to nature vs nurture

Interactionism goes beyond assessing the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in shaping behaviour- suggests that genes and the environmental actively interact and influence each other

What is the diathesis stress model?

• A model used to explain mental heath conditions like OCD and schizophrenia

• Individuals may inherit a genetic predisposition for a mental health condition however the actual expression or development of the disorder doesn’t happen unless. It is trigger by a significant environmental stressor

Examples of the interactionist approach

• Aggression in young males can be explained through an interactionist perspective, considering both evolutionary and sociocultural factors

• Historically evolution may have selected young men who demonstrated physical power and bravery, skills which are vital for hunting and warfare

• High aggression levels are more likely in modern men when these innate biological tendencies interact with social and cultural influences such as the norms and expectations around gang membership and risky behaviour

Evaluation- Psychodynamics

• Psychodynamics is a clear example of interactionism

• Freud argued that children undergo psychosexual developmental stages at specific stages which are biologically driven- an innate process

• However he emphasised the interaction of these innate stages with the child’s unique life experience during each stage

Evaluation- concordance

• Researchers examined the concordance rates of mental health conditions in identical twins who share 100% of their DNA and dizygotic twins who share 50%

• Concordance in this case refers to the likelihood of one twin having a condition of the other has it it

• In monozygotic twins, conditions such as OCD and schizophrenia have higher concordance

• However due to the lack of 100% concordance, which would be the case if these conditions were purely genetics, it is implied that both genetic and environmental factors play a role

Evaluation- Dichotomy

• A dichotomous view of behaviour s solely innate or biological can benefit treatment development

• For instance, assuming OCD is purely due to genetic factors affecting serotonin transport led to the creation of SSRIs as a treatment

• However, the most effective treatment for OCD combines SSRIs with CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) indicating the advantages of an interaction treatment approach that considers both nature and nurture

Evaluation- implications

• Accepting behaviour as primarily influenced by nature of nurture has significant implications in mental illness and leal contexts

• Viewing mental illness as being due to environmental factors empowers sufferers to actively modify their thought processes as opposed to having amore passive role via the biological explanation

• In the legal system it has been argued that if aggressive behaviour is mainly biological driven by genetics, it could result in reduced sentences for individuals with specific genetic markers under the argument that they are not responsible for their genetic predisposition for aggressive tendencies

Evaluation- Epigenetic modification

• DNA has chemical marks that influence how the DNA is expressed, so certain genes can be switched on o of switched off

• This collection of chemical marks is ur epigenome

• Environmental experiences can alter the epigenome, especially in children

• Positive life experiences like supportive relationships and a stimulating environment and negative experiences like exposure to toxins or stress can alter how genes are expressed in brain cells

• Either negatively or positively influencing behaviour in later life affecting mental health and learning

• It has even been shown that the experiences of parents can influences the epigenome of infants