Nature vs Nurture

• AO3-Nature influences Nurture

  • Some psychologists say nature influences nurture
  • Plomin, concept of passive influence, genetic disorder in parental behaviour creates environment for child raised
  • Parent with genetic illness creates unsettling home affecting childs health education and wellbeing
  • Should take interactionist approach not independent
• AO3- Real world application

  • Strength of nature vs nurture is real world application
  • research suggests OCD is highly heritable
  • understanding NvsN can help to give advice and ways of prevention
  • NvsN can help avoid development of genetic conditions
• AO3- Diatheses stress model

  • DSM suggests nurture can trigger how genes are interpreted and can change nurture
  • Tienori- Finnish adoptees most likely to have schizophrenia had bio relatives and dysfunctional adoptive family
  • expression of genes depends on experience in form of environmental stressor that triggers condition
  • NvsN not significant DSM suggests they affect one another
• Nature 


  Behaviour is a product of innate and biological factors
• Nature example

  Attachment- Bowlby said children come bio pre-programmed to form attachment to help with survival. They have innate need to form one attachment
• Nurture 


  Behaviour is the product of environmental influence. Jhon Locke said we are born on a blank slate
• Nurture example

  Psychopathology- Phobias are caused by classical conditioning via trauma. Maintained through operant conditioning via avoiding
• Interactionist approach

  Nature and nurture work together to influence behaviour. Includes, bio, psych and societal factors
• Diathesis stress model


  Psychopathology caused by bio and genetic vulnerability (diathesis) and only expressed when paired with environmental trigger (stressor).
• Epigenetics 


  Change in genetic activity without changing genetic code. Changes due to environmental factors that affect previous generation also affects next generation.