nature-nurture

What is the nature-nurture debate?

Nature - behaviour is seen as a product of innate (biological/genetic) factors

Nurture - behaviour is a product of environmental influences. These are acquired through interactions with the environment.

So the argument is whether a person’s development is mainly due to their genes or to environmental factors.

Heredity definition

The process by which traits are passed from parents to their offspring, usually referring to genetic inheritance.

What are two examples of the influence of nature?

Genetic and evolutionary explanations.

Explain the genetic explanations of nature’s influence.

Genetic explanations - Family, twin and adoption studies show that the closer two individuals are genetically, the more likely that both of them will develop the same behaviours - eg concordance rate for mental disorders (eg schizophrenia) is about 40% for identical twins.

This shows that nature has a major contribution to disorders.

Explain the evolutionary explanations of nature’s influence.

Evolutionary explanations - This is based on the principle that a behaviour/characteristic that promotes survival and reproduction will be naturally selected.

This is because such behaviours/characteristics are adaptive, and thus the genes for that behaviour/characteristic will be passed on to subsequent generations.

Eg Bowlby (1969) proposed that attachment was adaptive as it meant an infant was more likely to be protected and therefore more likely to survive.

Therefore, attachment behaviours are naturally selected, which can only be done through genetic mechanisms.

What are the three examples of the influence of nurture?

Behaviourism, Social learning theory, other explanations

Explain the behaviourism example of the influence of nurture

Behaviourists believe that behaviour can be explained by experience alone.

Eg Skinner used the concepts of classical and operant conditioning to explain learning.

In terms of attachment, classical conditioning - food is the mother who feeds the baby, and operant conditioning - food reduces the discomfort of hunger and is therefore rewarding.

Explain the SLT example of the influence of nurture.

Bandura proposed that behaviour is acquired through learning, as a result of vicarious reinforcement.

Bandura also allowed for biology playing a slight role - eg he acknowledged the urge to behave aggressively might be biological, but he said that the way a person learns to express anger is acquired through environmental influences.

Explain the other explanations of the influence of nurture.

There are lots of other explanations that are examples of nurture.

Eg the double blind theory of schizophrenia (Bateson) suggests that schizophrenia develops in children who frequently receive contradictory messages from their parents.

These conflicting messages prevent the child developing an internally consistent construction of reality, which may lead to symptoms of schizophrenia.

What is the interactionist approach?

The view that the processes of nature and nurture work together, rather than in opposition.

Nature-nurture eval/discussion

Diathesis-stress - this is a biological vulnerability (such as being born with certain genes that predispose a person to developing a disorder).

However, research has shown that expression of the gene depends on the stressor (environmental), which triggers the condition. So a person’s nature is only expressed under certain conditions of nurture.

So the diathesis-stress model explains how nature and nurture interact to produce behaviour.

More eval

Nature can affect nurture - genes can indirectly shape behaviour. Genetically influenced traits may provoke certain responses from others (eg aggressive child → harsher parenting). This example is an example of a reactive influence.

Nurture can affect nature - life experience can change the brain (neural plasticity). Eg London taxi drivers have been shown to have a much larger hippocampus than average due to memorising the routes around London.

Overall conclusion

Behaviour can’t solely be explained by nurture or nature.

Both genes and the environment constantly interact with eachother.

So the answer is the interactionist approach - this is followed by modern psychology.