Note
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2.4 & 2.5 - Psych Notes
Lesson 2.4: Nature Vs Nurture
Nature = the influence of genetics and biology on development and behaviour
Nurture = the influence of the environment and behaviour (physical and social)
Physical appearance, personality and cognitive abilities are all influenced by both genetics and the environment
“Three Identical Strangers”
Ethical Guidelines of Research
Social and clinical value
Scientific validity
Fair subject selection
Favorable risk-benefit ratio
Independent review
Informed consent
Respect for potential and enrolled subjects
Cognitive Development
Brain development has an influence on cognitive development
Nurture – access to education
Personality
· the unique pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that distinguish a person from others
· A tendency to act, feel, and think a certain way
Personality Theories
Sigmund Freud
· proposed that personality develops in childhood as our consciousness learns how to control the unconscious
· Id (instincts) = Nature
· Superego and Ego = Nurture
· For example, an individual with an overly dominant id might become impulsive, uncontrollable, or even criminal.
· Such an individual acts upon their most basic urges with no concern for whether their behavior is appropriate, acceptable, or legal.
Carl Jung
- Proposed that everyone has genetic predisposition toward one dimension in 3 pairs of dominant personality traits:
Extroversion – Introversion
Sensing – Intuition
Feeling – Thinking
Meyers-Briggs added a 4th criterion to Jungs 3 types:
Extroversion – Introversion
Sensing – Intuition
Feeling – Thinking
Judging – Perceiving
è Meyers-Briggs Personality Type
5 Big Personality Types
4 Main Parenting Styles
Diane Baumrind (developmental psychologist) identified
· 3 parenting styles:
Authoritative
Authoritarian
Permissive
· Stanford psychologists added 4th style:
Uninvolved
Parenting Styles | Characteristics | Impact/Effects |
Authoritarian | - Strict rules; failure to follow may result in punishment - Do not explain the reason behind rules (“because I said so”) - High demands but not responsive - Expect children to behave exceptionally with little guidance on future actions - Mistakes are punished, leaving children unsure of what they did wrong | - lead to obedient and proficient children - can also lead to increased anxiety, lower self-reliance, and reduced “intrinsic motivation” (motivated to do something for own sake). - children may also be more likely to lie to avoid punishment |
Authoritative | - similar to authoritarian but more democratic - responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions. - expect a lot of their children but also provide warmth, feedback, and adequate support. - more nurturing and forgiving than punishing | - result in happy, capable, and successful children - often leads to higher life satisfaction during adulthood |
Permissive | - sometimes referred as indulgent parents - few demands of their children - rarely discipline children - relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control. - generally nurturing and communicative - prioritize being child's friend the rather than parent - warm and attentive but tend to set few rules - children to make own decisions. | - results in children who rank in low happiness and self-regulation - more likely to engage in high-risk behaviours - tend to perform poorly in school |
Uninvolved | - rank lowest across all life domains - Few demands, low responsiveness, and very little communication. - fulfill child's basic needs but detached from child's life. - might ensure kids are fed and have shelter but offer low guidance, structure, rules, or support. - may reject or neglect child’s needs. - may also be physically or emotionally abusive.
| - tend to struggle in school - experience more depression - have worse social relationships - have difficulty controlling their emotions - experience more anxiety - higher rates of delinquency - poorer self reliance |
Epigenetics
Our traits and predispositions are fixed but the environment influences how they present themselves
The study of how the environment can affect the readability, or expression of genes without changing the DNA code itself
- New scientific research states environmental influences affect whether and how our genes are expressed
- The old ideas that genes (nature) alone determine development (“set in stone”) have been disproven
- Nature or Nurture is NOT a debate – because it’s always both
- Epigenome – collection of chemical marks that determine how much or little of the genes are expressed
- Different experiences can rearrange epigenomes affecting how a gene is expressed
- Experiences can have positive or negative effects on our biology
- Theoretically reversible
Environmental Factors that can influence your DNA:
· Mothers diet during pregnancy
· Exposure to chemicals like plastics, heavy metals, etc.
· Trauma at young age
· Learning experiences and interactions
· Foods you eat
· Alcohol
· Level of physical activities
· Community
Lesson 2.5: Language
Language
· a sophisticated communication system that includes vocabulary and a set of rules (grammar) outlining its use
· only humans have grammar & writing
The Evolution of Language
evolutionary advantages of language:
· Reduces misunderstandings
· Ideas can be conveyed quickly
Humans vs. Apes
· Broca’s is 6 times larger in humans
· Humans have tract connecting
Broca’s to Wernicke’s
· Position of larynx, hyoid bone and tongue
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Language Development
Stages of Language Development
1. Babbling (3 mos-1yr)
2. Short words (by end of 1 yr)
3. 2 to 3 words combinations (1-3 yrs)
4. Telegraphic Sentences (2-3 yrs)
5. Plurals and Past tense (by 3 yrs)
6. Overgeneralization (3-5 yrs)
7. Basic rules of language (by 5yrs)
Telegraphic Sentence - short sentence conveys meaning but not grammatically correct.
Ex. “Want cookie!”
Overgeneralization – application of a grammatical rule in cases where it doesn’t apply.
Ex. “I gived you a present”
“He runned to the store”
· Learning Theory
- B.F Skinner
à language is learned through rewards and punishments (nature)
àthe more sophisticated the language used by parents; the more capable children become (nurture)
- Albert Bandura
àlanguage is learned through observation (mimicking) (nurture)
· Cognitive Development
- Jean Piaget
à Schemas are mental categories that help us make sense of the word
àAssimilation is the process of placing information in an already existing schema
à Accommodation is the creation of new schemas or the modification of old ones
Ex. For example, if a child hears the word "bird" and already has a schema for animals with wings, they might assimilate the new word "bird" into their existing schema. But if they later see a penguin, which is a bird but cannot fly, they might need to accommodate their schema to understand that not all birds fly.
· Innate Acquisition Theory
- Noam Chomsky
à humans are anatomically prepared for speech with a neural system in the brain called the Language Acquisition Device (nature)
àlanguage abilities develop and change with age (nature)
· Critical Period Hypothesis
- Erick Lenneberg
àInspired by Noam Chomsky
àprimary language acquisition must occur in the critical period which ends at puberty
Language and Culture
Culture Differences
· Language is the verbal expression of a culture
àlinguistic differences reflect different circumstances
àlanguage differs due to geography, history, politics, and culture (my point)
· Language is learned through socialization
àagents of socialization
Linguistic Relativity Theory
- Benjamin Whorf & Eduard Sapir
àthe structure of a language affects how the speakers perceive the world (reality)
Ex. In English, “grandfather and grandmother” used for both maternal and paternal grandparents. In hindi/urdu, there’s a specific word for each “nana/nanu” for maternal grandparents and “dadi/dadu” for paternal grandparents
àIf a certain word is not available in your language, your perception of reality will be different as one who uses a specific word in their language to describe that realityLesson 2.4: Nature Vs Nurture
Nature = the influence of genetics and biology on development and behaviour
Nurture = the influence of the environment and behaviour (physical and social)
Physical appearance, personality and cognitive abilities are all influenced by both genetics and the environment
“Three Identical Strangers”
Ethical Guidelines of Research
Social and clinical value
Scientific validity
Fair subject selection
Favorable risk-benefit ratio
Independent review
Informed consent
Respect for potential and enrolled subjects
Cognitive Development
Brain development has an influence on cognitive development
Nurture – access to education
Personality
· the unique pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviours that distinguish a person from others
· A tendency to act, feel, and think a certain way
Personality Theories
Sigmund Freud
· proposed that personality develops in childhood as our consciousness learns how to control the unconscious
· Id (instincts) = Nature
· Superego and Ego = Nurture
· For example, an individual with an overly dominant id might become impulsive, uncontrollable, or even criminal.
· Such an individual acts upon their most basic urges with no concern for whether their behavior is appropriate, acceptable, or legal.
Carl Jung
- Proposed that everyone has genetic predisposition toward one dimension in 3 pairs of dominant personality traits:
Extroversion – Introversion
Sensing – Intuition
Feeling – Thinking
Meyers-Briggs added a 4th criterion to Jungs 3 types:
Extroversion – Introversion
Sensing – Intuition
Feeling – Thinking
Judging – Perceiving
è Meyers-Briggs Personality Type
5 Big Personality Types
4 Main Parenting Styles
Diane Baumrind (developmental psychologist) identified
· 3 parenting styles:
Authoritative
Authoritarian
Permissive
· Stanford psychologists added 4th style:
Uninvolved
Parenting Styles | Characteristics | Impact/Effects |
Authoritarian | - Strict rules; failure to follow may result in punishment - Do not explain the reason behind rules (“because I said so”) - High demands but not responsive - Expect children to behave exceptionally with little guidance on future actions - Mistakes are punished, leaving children unsure of what they did wrong | - lead to obedient and proficient children - can also lead to increased anxiety, lower self-reliance, and reduced “intrinsic motivation” (motivated to do something for own sake). - children may also be more likely to lie to avoid punishment |
Authoritative | - similar to authoritarian but more democratic - responsive to their children and willing to listen to questions. - expect a lot of their children but also provide warmth, feedback, and adequate support. - more nurturing and forgiving than punishing | - result in happy, capable, and successful children - often leads to higher life satisfaction during adulthood |
Permissive | - sometimes referred as indulgent parents - few demands of their children - rarely discipline children - relatively low expectations of maturity and self-control. - generally nurturing and communicative - prioritize being child's friend the rather than parent - warm and attentive but tend to set few rules - children to make own decisions. | - results in children who rank in low happiness and self-regulation - more likely to engage in high-risk behaviours - tend to perform poorly in school |
Uninvolved | - rank lowest across all life domains - Few demands, low responsiveness, and very little communication. - fulfill child's basic needs but detached from child's life. - might ensure kids are fed and have shelter but offer low guidance, structure, rules, or support. - may reject or neglect child’s needs. - may also be physically or emotionally abusive.
| - tend to struggle in school - experience more depression - have worse social relationships - have difficulty controlling their emotions - experience more anxiety - higher rates of delinquency - poorer self reliance |
Epigenetics
Our traits and predispositions are fixed but the environment influences how they present themselves
The study of how the environment can affect the readability, or expression of genes without changing the DNA code itself
- New scientific research states environmental influences affect whether and how our genes are expressed
- The old ideas that genes (nature) alone determine development (“set in stone”) have been disproven
- Nature or Nurture is NOT a debate – because it’s always both
- Epigenome – collection of chemical marks that determine how much or little of the genes are expressed
- Different experiences can rearrange epigenomes affecting how a gene is expressed
- Experiences can have positive or negative effects on our biology
- Theoretically reversible
Environmental Factors that can influence your DNA:
· Mothers diet during pregnancy
· Exposure to chemicals like plastics, heavy metals, etc.
· Trauma at young age
· Learning experiences and interactions
· Foods you eat
· Alcohol
· Level of physical activities
· Community
Lesson 2.5: Language
Language
· a sophisticated communication system that includes vocabulary and a set of rules (grammar) outlining its use
· only humans have grammar & writing
The Evolution of Language
evolutionary advantages of language:
· Reduces misunderstandings
· Ideas can be conveyed quickly
Humans vs. Apes
· Broca’s is 6 times larger in humans
· Humans have tract connecting
Broca’s to Wernicke’s
· Position of larynx, hyoid bone and tongue
| |||
| |||
Language Development
Stages of Language Development
1. Babbling (3 mos-1yr)
2. Short words (by end of 1 yr)
3. 2 to 3 words combinations (1-3 yrs)
4. Telegraphic Sentences (2-3 yrs)
5. Plurals and Past tense (by 3 yrs)
6. Overgeneralization (3-5 yrs)
7. Basic rules of language (by 5yrs)
Telegraphic Sentence - short sentence conveys meaning but not grammatically correct.
Ex. “Want cookie!”
Overgeneralization – application of a grammatical rule in cases where it doesn’t apply.
Ex. “I gived you a present”
“He runned to the store”
· Learning Theory
- B.F Skinner
à language is learned through rewards and punishments (nature)
àthe more sophisticated the language used by parents; the more capable children become (nurture)
- Albert Bandura
àlanguage is learned through observation (mimicking) (nurture)
· Cognitive Development
- Jean Piaget
à Schemas are mental categories that help us make sense of the word
àAssimilation is the process of placing information in an already existing schema
à Accommodation is the creation of new schemas or the modification of old ones
Ex. For example, if a child hears the word "bird" and already has a schema for animals with wings, they might assimilate the new word "bird" into their existing schema. But if they later see a penguin, which is a bird but cannot fly, they might need to accommodate their schema to understand that not all birds fly.
· Innate Acquisition Theory
- Noam Chomsky
à humans are anatomically prepared for speech with a neural system in the brain called the Language Acquisition Device (nature)
àlanguage abilities develop and change with age (nature)
· Critical Period Hypothesis
- Erick Lenneberg
àInspired by Noam Chomsky
àprimary language acquisition must occur in the critical period which ends at puberty
Language and Culture
Culture Differences
· Language is the verbal expression of a culture
àlinguistic differences reflect different circumstances
àlanguage differs due to geography, history, politics, and culture (my point)
· Language is learned through socialization
àagents of socialization
Linguistic Relativity Theory
- Benjamin Whorf & Eduard Sapir
àthe structure of a language affects how the speakers perceive the world (reality)
Ex. In English, “grandfather and grandmother” used for both maternal and paternal grandparents. In hindi/urdu, there’s a specific word for each “nana/nanu” for maternal grandparents and “dadi/dadu” for paternal grandparents
àIf a certain word is not available in your language, your perception of reality will be different as one who uses a specific word in their language to describe that reality