The nature-nurture debate

• What does the nature side of the nature-nurture debate propose?

  Propose that traits/behaviours etc. are innate.

  - Proposes that heredity is most important in governing human behaviour. Focuses on how biological factors influence a person's behaviour more than environmental factors.

  - E.g. genetics, neurochemistry, brain structure and function.
• Examples of the nature side of the nature-nurture in psychology?

  1. The genetic explanation for OCD.

  - Proposes that OCD is develops when an individual inherits an underactive COMT gene and overactive SERT gene.

  
  

  2. The genetic explanation for offending behaviour

  - Individuals commit crime when they inherit criminal genes such as the underactive MAOA gene.
• What does the nurture perspective propose?

  - Environment and experience is more important in governing human behaviour.

  - It is consistent with the learning approaches (SLT) in that it focuses on how environmental factors influence a person's

  behaviour more than biological factors.

  - Examples of these environmental factors include upbringing, the influence of media and culture.
• Examples of the nurture perspective in psychology?

  1. The family dysfunction explanation of scz

  - Proposes that scz symptoms can occur if an individual lives within a family environment characterized by conflict.

  
  

  2. The two process model

  - Proposes that phobias are learned through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning.
• What does the interactionist approach refer to?

  - When nature and nurture are considered as equally important

  as one another.

  - They do not act independently, they interact to govern human behaviour. This means there is increasing focus on how both biology and environment play an important role in an human behaviour.
• Example of the interactionist approach in psychology

  1. The diathesis stress model

  - Proposes that scz results from biological factors and environmental factors.

  - Individual's genetic vulnerability (nature) interacts with an environmental trigger (nurture) such as family dysfunction