The Nature-Nurture Debate (AQA A Level Psychology): Flashcards
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What is the nature-nurture debate?
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What is the nature-nurture debate?
The nature-nurture debate is probably the oldest debate in psychology and concerns whether genes (heredity) or the environment determine behaviour.
Define nativist.
A nativist, such as Descartes, argues that all behaviour stems from innate, inborn characteristics.
Define empiricist.
An empiricist, such as Locke, argues that humans are born as 'blank slates' and that life 'writes' on them to form behaviour from external influences.
What does the nature side of the debate assume about behaviour?
The nature side assumes behaviour is innate, a product of genetic inheritance, and can be understood by studying biological processes and structures such as hormones, neurotransmitters and brain regions.
Which research methods are typical of a nature-based approach?
Nature-based methods include:
brain scanning, e.g. fMRI and EEG
concordance rates from twin studies
DNA analysis via urine or saliva samples
The heritability coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, and a value of means that genetic factors account for half of the variation in a trait across a population.
The heritability coefficient ranges from 0 to 1, and a value of 0.5 means that genetic factors account for half of the variation in a trait across a population.
Why is Bowlby's theory of attachment a pro-nature argument?
Bowlby based his ideas on ethologists such as Lorenz, concluding that attachment is an essential evolutionary mechanism needed for the survival of the species.
True or False?
Extreme nature arguments claim women are born carers and men are born providers.
True.
The extreme nature argument suggests some behaviours are entirely biologically based, such as women being born to be carers and men to be providers.
How can the nature side of the debate be evidenced using clinical data?
Understanding genetic inheritance has identified atypical chromosome patterns, e.g. Klinefelter's syndrome, that are not determined by environmental influence, showing a clear biological basis to behaviour.
What is a danger of taking a purely nature-based approach?
A purely nature-based approach can produce prejudiced, overly deterministic and dangerous assumptions about people based on their gender, ethnicity or sexuality, e.g. claims about a genetic basis for IQ with no empirical evidence.
Why do MZ twin concordance rates challenge a purely nature-based argument?
MZ twins share exactly the same DNA, yet concordance is never 100%, e.g. Gottesman (1991) found 48% for schizophrenia in MZ twins vs 17% in DZ twins, so the environment must also play a role.
What does the nurture side of the debate assume about behaviour?
The nurture side assumes behaviour is learned through conditioning and is a product of environmental factors such as upbringing, family and peer relationships, schooling and experience.
The extreme nurture view suggests humans are born as Locke's 'blank slate', an idea which underpins determinism.
The extreme nurture view suggests humans are born as Locke's 'blank slate', an idea which underpins environmental determinism.
How does the learning theory of attachment ('cupboard love') support nurture?
Babies attach to whoever feeds them: the feeder changes from a neutral stimulus to a conditioned stimulus through association with the pleasure of food, the unconditioned stimulus.
How does the two-process model of phobias support the nurture side?
A phobia is learned by classical conditioning, when an aversive experience such as a dog bite turns dogs into a conditioned phobic stimulus, and is then maintained by negative reinforcement, as avoiding dogs removes the anxiety and so reinforces the avoidance.
Why can the nurture side not explain differences between siblings?
The nurture side cannot account for individual differences in children raised in the same family environment, e.g. one child may turn to crime or develop a drug addiction while the other does not.
Define the interactionist approach.
The interactionist approach, used by most psychologists today, holds that nature and nurture interact with each other and neither trumps the other; one cannot exist without the other.
How does the diathesis-stress model illustrate the interactionist approach?
A genetic predisposition ('diathesis' means vulnerability), e.g. to depression, is 'switched on' by an environmental trigger ('stress') such as a bereavement or relationship breakdown.
Define epigenetics.
Epigenetics refers to how environmental factors can change gene expression, encouraging or suppressing specific genes from being expressed.
True or False?
Epigenetic changes alter the DNA sequence.
False.
Epigenetic changes do not alter the DNA sequence, e.g. starvation during pregnancy changed the expression of genes coding for fat storage, so the baby went on to become an obese adult.
Why is the interactionist approach more valid than extreme nature or nurture views?
The interactionist approach is more holistic, acknowledging the complex relationship between biology, psychology and environment, which gives a more valid explanation of behaviour.
Define constructivism.
Constructivism ('niche-picking') is the idea that people pick environments suited to their natural likes, habits and talents, e.g. a musically gifted child seeks out music, showing that nature and nurture are aligned.
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