AP Psychology - Unit 8: Nature vs. Nurture

Nature

has to do with genes and inherited traits

Nurture

has to do with culture, upbringing, and parents

Behavioral genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Kety's study

used records of fostered people and their parents, both adoptive and biological, to study the influences of nature and nurture

Importance of Kety's study

found genetics had a higher impact on schizophrenia; set the standard for conducting nature v. nurture studies

Epigenetics

how environmental factors affect genes and genetic expression

Example of epigenetics

IQ is 57-80% heritable

Chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

Genes

segments of chromosomes made up of strands of DNA

DNA

chemical compound with genetic info

Genome

the complete set of genes and genetic material present in cells and organisms

Why are twin studies considered 'nature's perfect experiment'?

they allow scientists to isolate nature and nurture's influences

Identical twins

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms whose differences are due to environment

Fraternal twins

twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs and are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters; differences are due to nature AND nurture

Which type of twins are more similar in all aspects?

identical

Temperament

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and behavioral style

Heritability

the extent to which genetics contribute to individual differences in an observed behavior

Heritability percentages change as. . .

environmental and genetic factors interact

As environments become more similar. . .

heritability increases

As environments become more diverse. . .

heritability decreases

Diathesis stress model

suggests that behaviors are a result of both biological factors (nature) AND life experiences (nurture)

Diathesis stress model example

some people are genetically predisposed to certain conditions, like schizophrenia or alcoholism, which are then triggered by external circumstances

Evolutionary psychology

the study of the evolution of (and its effects on) human behavior and the mind

Natural selection

a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment.

Natural selection argues that. . .

changes in traits over time are due to genetic mutations

Men's attraction to women's youthfulness and figure alludes to. . .

past generations of men looking for healthy women to increase offsprings' chances of survival

Women's attraction to men's mature, dominant, and commitment-oriented behavior alludes to. . .

past generations of women needing strong, healthy men to support and protect their offspring

Critics of the evolutionary perspective

say mental processes and behaviors are also influenced by culture and society

Example of how culture influences mental processes and behaviors

what people desire in partners differs by culture

Prenatal nurture

mother's placenta gives fetus nourishment, and can transfer toxic agents that can affect development and growth

Experience in babies reflects. . .

brain size, development, and complexity

Babies who are handled. . .

develop faster than non-handled babies

'Use it or lose it' principle

states that stimulation is essential for brain development and maintenance, like critical periods

Biological sex

the biological condition of being male and/or female, as determined by genetics

Gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female; nuture-based

Testosterone

the male sex hormone produced in the testes that is directly related to aggression and competitiveness

Estrogen

the female sex hormone produced in the ovaries that allows for menstruation

Traits of biological males include. . .

higher levels of testosterone, testes producing sperm, lipids deposit around the abdomen, greater skeletal mass, narrow pelvic formation, and broader shoulders

Traits of biological females include. . .

higher levels of estrogen, ovaries producing eggs, lipids deposit around hips and thighs, lesser skeletal mass, wider pelvic formation, and narrow shoulders

Role

a set of norms and expectations about a social position

Gender roles

expectations about how males and females should behave; changes based on culture, time, and context

Social learning theory

states that behaviors are learned through observation, imitation, and consequence

Social learning theory and gender

children learn gender roles from parents and peers by observing and imitating behaviors, and then experiencing a reward or punishment ('big boys don't cry' or 'you're being such a good mom to your dolls')

Gender schema theory

the theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male or female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly

Schema

a mental category or concept through which someone interprets and organizes the world

Gender schema examples

female = cooking, long hair, pink; male = pilot, short hair, blue

Assimilation

making new info fit into existing understandings

Accommodation

adapting schemas to incorporate new info

Developmental psychology

studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan; "from womb to tomb"

Cross-sectional study

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

Longitudinal study

research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period of time

Maturation

the natural sequenced process of development, like crawling before walking, rolling before sitting, etc.

Conception

when a sperm fertilizes an egg and they fuse to become a single cell

Stages of conception

zygote, embryo, fetus

Zygote

a fertilized egg at days one to twenty-four that has approximately one hundred cells

Embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month at which cells begin to specialize and grow organs

Fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth at which organs develop and teratogens and toxins can enter the placenta and harm the baby

Teratogen

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

Development in the womb

brain cells develop very quickly in the womb-neural networks first, then the frontal lobe, then association areas (thinking, memory, language)

Rooting reflex

a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple

Infants develop particular emotional expressions to. . .

signal their needs and establish their trust with caregivers

Examples of infants' emotional expressions

crying when hungry, smiling when amused or satisfied, and staring when confused

Babinski reflex

reflex in which a newborn fans out the toes when the sole of the foot is touched

Contact comfort

the instinctual need to touch and be touched

Harry Harlow

Studied attachment in monkeys with artificial mothers

Separation anxiety

the fear of separation from caregiver

Stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers that develops by 8 months

Imprinting

the process by which some animals form immediate, instinctual attachments during a critical period; human babies don't "imprint" immediately

Konrad Lorenz

found baby geese could imprint on humans, dogs, etc.

Secure attachment percentage

70% of population

Ambivalent attachment percentage

15% of population

Avoidant attachment percentage

15% of population

Secure attachment

a relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver; mild distress when parent leaves and distrust of stranger

Secure attachment babies as adults have. . .

trusting relationships, high self-esteem, and are comfortable sharing emotions and seeking social support

Ambivalent attachment

a baby that shows intense distress when the parent leaves, avoidance or fear of stranger, and resistance when parent returns

Ambivalent attachment babies as adults are. . .

reluctant to develop relationships, insecure in relationships, and distraught when they end

Avoidant attachment

a baby that shows indifference when parent leaves, are as OK with strangers as they are with their parents, and indifferent when parent returns

Avoidant attachment babies as adults have. . .

intimacy problems, little emotional investment in relationships, and are unwilling or unable to share emotions

The four parenting styles

authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglecting

Authoritative parenting style

the best way to raise children using both high warmth and high control

Authoritarian parenting style

a way of raising children using low warmth and high control

Neglecting parenting style

a way of raising children using low warmth and low control

Permissive parenting style

a way of raising children using high warmth and low control

Dana Baumrind

found that being raised by authoritative parents correlates with higher self-esteem, self reliance, and social competence

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

an advocate of cognitive psychology that emphasized nature's influence on infants' development; created the schema theory as well as the four cognitive stages of childhood development

Cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Sensorimotor Stage of Development overview

from birth to 2 years old, infants experience and interact with the world through senses like touching, looking, listening, etc.

Sensorimotor Stage of Development phenomena

babies develop stranger anxiety, the knowledge that they can cause things to happen, recognize that they are separate beings from those around them, but have no object permanence

Preoperational Stage of Development overview

from 2 to 6 or 7 years, children are starting to understand the world better, egocentrism develops, they tend to think in concrete terms but not abstractly, lots of pretend play

Egocentrism

in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

Artificialism

In Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's belief that human beings make everything in nature happen (weatherman example)

Animism

the preoperation child's belief that objects are alive and concious

Symbolism

the preoperational child's ability to use symbols like words and images to represent objects

Preoperational children's language skills

much improvement, but they still interpret things literally; "go run and get a snack"

Theory of mind

people's ideas about their own and others' mental states - about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.

Autism

a disorder that appears in preoperational childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind

Principles of conservation

the concept that the quantity of a substance is not altered by reversible changes in its appearance; not understood in preoperational childhood

Concrete Operational Stage of Development

6 or 7 to 12 years, can't think abstractly yet but can reason and understand mathematical transformations and conservation, egocentrism begins to disappear

Formal Operational Stage of Development

12 years and older, people in this stage can think and reason abstractly, self-concept develops

Self-concept

a sense of one's identity and personal worth; positive ones can make a child grow up to be more confident, independent, assertive, and sociable