Issues and Debates

Nature-Nurture Debate

Which aspects of behaviour are a inherited characteristics or are a result of the world around you.

Nature

Inherited Characteristics

Nurture

Acquired Characteristics

Heredity

The genetic transmission of mental or physical characteristics.

Environment

Any influence on human behaviour that is non-genetic.

Nativism

René Descartes claimed characteristics were hereditary.

Empiricism

Locke argued that the mind was a blank slate and that behaviour is a result of experiences

Heritability coefficient

Scale which assesses the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis, IQ is 0.5.

Epigentics

Genetic activity changing influencing next generation’s DNA because of the environment leaving ‘marks’ on DNA.

Interactionist Approach

The study how the two sides interact with and influence each other.

Cultural Bias

A tendency to ignore cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the lens of one’s own culture.

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by the standards and values of one’s own culture.

Etic Approach

Where you look at behaviour from outside of a given culture and attempt to describe it using universal ideas or theories.

Eric Approach

Where you try to understand behaviour from with a culture and identify behaviours specific to that culture.

W.E.I.R.D

Western Educated and from Industrialised Rich and Democratic countries.

Cultural Relativism

The idea that norms and values can only be meaningful and understood within a specific social and cultural contexts.

Universality

The idea that certain characteristics can be applied to all human beings.

Gender Bias

Psychological research may not represent the experience and behaviour of one gender.

Alpha Bias

When differences between the sexes are exaggerated or overestimated.

Beta Bias

When differences between sexes are ignored or minimised.

Free Will

The notion that humans can make choices and are not determined by biological or external forces.

Determinism

The view that an individual's behaviour is shaped by internal or external forces.

Hard Determinism (fatalism)

All human behaviour has a cause that can be identified and described, free will is not possible.

Soft Determinism

There is room for manoeuvre, we still have freedom to make rational choices.

Biological Determinism

Behaviour is caused by biological influences we cannot control.

Environmental Determinism

Behaviour is caused by features of the environment.

Holism

Human behaviour should be viewed as a whole integrated experience.

Reductionism

Human behaviour is best explained by breaking it down into smaller parts.

Idiographic

Understanding behaviour through studying individual cases.

Nomothetic

Understanding behaviour through developing general laws that apply to all people.

Ethical Implications

The impact that psychological research may have in terms of the rights of other people.