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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.
