nature + nuture

What is the nature-nurture debate concerned with?

The relative contributions of genetics and the environment on human behaviour and psychological characteristics.

What does the nature view refer to?

The inherited (innate) characteristics and abilities determined by our genes.

What viewpoint does the nature view adopt?

Nativist

What does the nurture view refer to?

The influences of experience on shaping behaviour, and how we learn through our interactions with both the physical and social environment.

What viewpoint does the nurture view adopt?

Empiricist

What was Locke’s view in relation to nurture?

We are born with a mind that is a blank slate (tabula rasa) on which experience is written

What psychological term represents the extent to which a characteristic is genetic in origin?

Heritability coefficient

Between what values does the heritability coefficient lie?

0-1

What would a high value on the heritability coefficient indicate?

that the characteristic is due to genetics

What type of research method is normally used to investigate heritability coefficients?

twin or adoption studies

If MZ twins are reared apart and have high concordance for a particular trait, what does this suggest

the trait is genetic

If an adopted child has high concordance with their adoptive parent, what does this indicate

that the characteristic or trait is mainly environmental

Give an example of something that is caused by inheriting recessive genes but can be controlled in the environment through a special diet that avoids the consumption of dairy products

PKU

What term refers to a genetic predisposition that requires an environmental trigger, therefore supporting an interactionist approach?

Diathesis stress model

what is epigenetic modification

what’s a strength of taking a dichotomous view and solely considering innate factors biological factors or environmental ones.

A strength of taking a dichotomous view by focusing solely on either innate (biological) or environmental factors is that it can lead to the development of effective treatments. For example, explaining obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in terms of biological factors, such as genetic influences like the COMT and SERT genes which have been linked to levels and transport of serotonin. This has led to the development of drug treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which aim to regulate serotonin levels in the brain.

Supporting evidence comes from Soomro et al., who found that SSRIs were significantly more effective than placebos in reducing OCD symptoms. In a meta-analysis, they reported improvement rates of approximately 50–80% of patients. This demonstrates that adopting a purely biological (nature) perspective can be highly valuable, as it allows for the development of targeted and effective treatments.

nThis demonstrates the value of purely considering either nature or nature effect on behaviour can lead to the development of effective treatments.

Focusing solely on either nature or nurture can be useful for developing treatments, as it allows researchers to isolate specific causes of disorders. However, in practice, evidence suggests that an interactionist approach is more effective. This is best illustrated by the diathesis–stress model, which proposes that individuals may have a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) to a disorder, but the disorder will only develop if triggered by environmental stressors, such as trauma or chronic stress.

Research supports this view. For example, March et al. found that a combination of drug therapy (addressing biological factors) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which targets environmental and cognitive influences, was more effective than either treatment alone. This suggests that treating both the innate (nature) and environmental (nurture) aspects of a disorder leads to better outcomes.

Therefore, this highlights the importance of a holistic, interactionist approach in the development of treatments, as it reflects the complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors.

evidence in support of both interacting

A key development in the nature–nurture debate is the concept of epigenetics, which provides strong support for an interactionist approach. Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that occur without altering the underlying DNA sequence, often as a result of environmental influences such as stress, diet, or early life experiences. This means that while individuals may inherit certain genetic predispositions, environmental factors can determine whether these genes are activated or not. For example, research has shown that identical twins, who share the same genetic makeup, can develop differences in behaviour and susceptibility to disorders over time due to different environmental exposures. This challenges the idea that behaviour can be explained purely by nature or nurture alone, and instead demonstrates that behaviour is the result of a dynamic interplay between both factors