Issues and debates

Definition of the Nature vs Nurture debate

It is about which is more important in determining behaviour: our genes and evolution, or our environment

The Nature side of the Nature vs Nurture debate

• Called nativist at its most extreme form

• Our that human behaviours and capabilities are innate and are a product of evolution

• Our individual differences are a result of our unique genetic code

The Nurture side of the Nature vs Nurture debate

• Called empiricist at its most extreme form

• We are all born as a clean slate (‘Tabula rata’)

• Human behaviours and capabilities are learned and are a product of our environment

• Our individual differences are a result of our upbringing and our environment throughout life

Interactionist approach

The idea that our genes and environment interact with one another to produce our individual differences (epigenetics)

• Seen in twin studies such as Nestadt’s twin study on OCD

Examples of topics that support the Nature debate

• Nestdat et al. - OCD

• Czech twins - Attachment

• Biological preparedness (Dinardo’s dogs) - Phobias

• Low levels of neurotransmitters - Depression

• Social releasers (Tronick et al) - Attachment

• High activity SERT gene and low activity COMT gene (Bengal et al.) - OCD

Examples of topics that support the Nurture debate

• Institutionalisation (Roman orphan study) - Attachment

• Genie - Attachment

• Bowlby’s 44 thieves - Attachment

• Affectionless psychopathy - Attachment

• Negative schema - Depression

• IWM (Bailey et al. & Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz) - Attachment

• Van Ijzendoorn - Cultural variations in attachment

• Cromer - OCD

• Mowrer’s 2 process model (Little Albert) - Phobias

The interactionist approach - Niche picking

Reference made by Plomin

• The idea that our innate traits lead us to choose certain environments. This interaction between nature and nurture makes it hard to establish whether an observed trait is a result of nature or nurture

Dias Kesler

• Conducted a study on mice in which they were given an electric shock and were exposed to a chemical found in perfumes

• The mice displayed fear in response to the perfume even with no electric shock

• The mice’s offspring also showed fear in response to perfume, and their offspring as well despite them never being shocked or being exposed to the perfume

Supports the idea of transgenerational epigenetics

Gender bias

Research that does not justifiably represent the experience of either men or women

The two forms of gender bias

• Alpha bias

• Beta bias

Alpha bias

Exaggerating the differences between men and women

Beta bias

Minimising the differences between men and women

Androcentrism

A form of bias where men are seen as more important than women or where male behaviour is seen as the “norm”. Beta bias can often lead to androcentrism

Cultural bias

The tendency to ignore/minimise cultural differences and interpret all phenomena through the lens of one’s own culture

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by the standards of one’s own culture, often considering one’s own culture to be “normal” or superior

Cultural relativism

The view that behaviour can only be understood within the context of the culture from which it originates, and that all cultural values and perspectives are valid and equal

Universiality

• The ability to apply research findings to everyone regardless of sex, gender, ethnicity, culture etc.

• Implies an evolutionary or biological root (shared human traits across all groups)

Reductionism

The belief that the best way to understand behaviour is by breaking it down into smaller, constituent parts

Holism

The idea that we can only understand a complex system by looking at that system as a whole

What is meant by levels of explanation in psychology

The fact that we can reduce a complex behaviour or psychological phenomenon down to a variety of levels ranging from lower levels (more fundamental) to higher levels (more holistic and multivariate)

Order the four main levels of explanation from least reductionist (higher level) to most reductionist (lower level)

1. Socio-cultural level (least reductionist)

2. Psychological (cognitive) level

3. Physical (behavioural) level

4. Biological level (most reductionist)

The focus of each of the four levels of explanation

• Socio-cultural: societal perceptions and cultural factors

• Psychological (cognitive): Thoughts, cognitive processes, and emotions

• Physical (behavioural): Observable behaviours and factors in the immediate environment

• Biological: What biological factors play a role?

Order the six approaches from most reductionist to least reductionist

1. Biological (most reductionist)

2. Behavioural

3. SLT

4. Cognitive

5. Psychodynamic

6. Humanistic (most holistic)

Reductionism - Evaluation (AO3)

• (+) Scientific: Breaking down behaviours into smaller parts allows those parts to be tested in controlled conditions

• (+) Treatments: Different levels of explanation offer specific treatments for disorders

• (-) Loss of social context: Lower levels of explanation cannot fully explain what a behaviour means or fully capture a person’s subjective experience

Holism - Evaluation (AO3)

• (+) Some behaviours can only be understood holistically e.g. Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment, where behaviour was a result from interaction between individuals and social roles

• (-) Limited real-world applications: If many factors contribute to a behaviour (e.g. depression), it is difficult to know what to focus on first in treatment

What is the Nomotheic and Idiographic debate about?

It is a debate regarding how we approach psychological research. It is whether Psychology should aim to create general laws or study people as unique individuals

The Nomotheic approach

• Suggests that psychological research should look at the similarities between people, allowing us to create generalisation and laws

• Research Methods:

  • Likely to produce quantitative data

  • May be an emphasis on statistical testing, so that we can test hypotheses

  • Likely to use large samples

The Idiographic approach

• Suggests that people are unique and that psychologists should study human beings as individuals. Therefore, general laws are impossible

• Research Methods:

  • Likely to produce rich and detailed qualitative data

  • Allows for the in-depth study of individuals

Examples of research methods that align with the nomotheic approach

• Likert scale

• Experiments

• Quetsionnaires

• Sampling methods

• Time event sampling

• Meta analysis

• Correlation

Examples of research methods that align with the idiographic approach

• Case studies

• Unstructured interviews

• Unstructured observations

• Participant observations

• Thematic analysis