nature vs nurture

• • Nature = refers to biological, hereditary and genetic predispositions inherited from birth. E.g- physical characteristics and personality traits 

   

  • Nurture = refers to environmental factors that influence and individual's development. E.g- parenting style and educational experiences 
• interactionist approach: Often isn't nature vs nurture but instead a relative contribution of both, hereditary and environment interacting with each other

  • E.g- epigenetics - changing genetic activity without changing the gene itself- lifestyle choices switch genes on/off
• 3 types of gene-environment interactions have been described by Plomin et al: passive, evocative/reactive and active 
• Passive gene-environment interaction: parents pass on genes and also provide an environment, both influencing child's development, e.g- intelligent parents are more likely to pass on genes for intelligence to the child. Parents are also more likely to provide higher levels of cognitive stimulation and a good education. Both of these factors increase the likelihood of their child being intelligent. 
• • Evocative/reactive gene-environment interaction : heritable traits influence the reaction of others and hence the environment provided by others, e.g- a shy child (partly genetically influenced) may seem less fun to other children, making other children less likely to want to spend time with them. This environment may result in the child becoming more socially withdrawn.
• • Active gene-environment interaction : a child's heritable traits influence their choice of environment, e.g- an aggressive child may choose to watch violent films and engage in contact sports. This is known as 'niche-picking' and this is one reason research has shown that the influence of genetics increases as a child gets older. 

   
• Nature AND nurture stance- your life experiences (nurture) can shape your biology (nature), e.g- taxi drivers with bigger spatial memories than control groups. This is not because they were born this way but because their hippocampi had responded to increased use.