NATURE VS NURTURE

• What is nature?

  Nativists argue that behavioural characteristics are innate, the result of heredity
• what is nurture?

  empiricists argue that the mind is a blank slate at birth which is written on by learning and experience in the environment. Biology only has a small effect in determining what we are capable of
• what do scientists focus on in the nature nurture debate?

  relative contributions of nature and nurture, seeing to what extent they each affect each other
• what is heritability coefficient?


  a number between 0 and 1 which shows the extent that variation in a behaviour is influenced by nature

  1 is entirely down to genes, 0 means genes have no influence
• what is the heritability coefficient of IQ?

  0.5 so 50% of variation can be put down to nature (genes)
• what is the heritability coefficient of schizophrenia?

  0.8
• what is the interactionist approach?

  considers both nature and nurture in explaining behaviour
• Examples of the interactionist approach

  Diathesis stress model

  Neuroplasticity in response to learning and experience

  Epigenetics
• Evaluation point 1

  LIMITATION of twin studies

  operate on the assumption that both members of a twin pair are raised in the same environment, so if MZ twins are more similar than DZ twins then it is assumed nature has a big impact but they do not share the same experiences, MZ are treated more similarly to DZ which makes it hard to separate the influence of nature and nurture using twins
• Evaluation Point 2

  LIMITATION of nature

  negative implications. Nativist suggest genes are our destiny and environment has little input, leads to controversy such as attempting to link race and gender to intelligence and advocation of eugenics
• Evaluation point 3

  LIMITATION of Nurture

  negative implications, believe behaviour can be changed by altering environment conditions, this can lead to a society which controls and manipulates its citizens eg Nazi Germany
• Evaluation Point 4

  Interactionist approach is better as it meets in the middle of the debate, considers both sides of the argument instead of completely ignoring one. It acknowledges the relationship is complicated and gives a more in depth approach