Nature vs Nurture

• What does the term "nature" refer to in psychology?

  Innate characteristics influencing behavior
• How are characteristics inherited according to the nature perspective?

  They are passed down from ancestors
• What is the determinist view in the context of nature?

  All behavior is determined by hereditary factors
• What does the term "nurture" refer to in psychology?

  Behavior determined by the environment
• What factors influence behavior according to the nurture perspective?

  Things taught, observed, and situations experienced
• What is the deterministic view in the context of nurture?

  All behavior results from environmental interactions
• What does the behaviorist theory suggest about human behavior?

  Behavior is shaped by the environment
• What was the Little Albert experiment about?

  Classical conditioning to fear white rats
• Why is it difficult to separate nature and nurture in twin studies?

  Twins often share similar environments
• What did Maguire et al.'s taxi driver study find?

  Taxi drivers have larger posterior hippocampus
• What does the diathesis-stress model propose?

  Psychopathology arises from genetic predisposition and stress
• How do environmental factors influence epigenetics?

  They leave marks on DNA affecting gene expression
• What is the significance of epigenetic markers for future generations?

  They influence genetic code of descendants
• What was the outcome of the study on male lab mice and electric shocks?

  Offspring developed fear of the scent
• What are the key concepts of the nature vs. nurture debate?

  • Nature: Innate characteristics, genetic inheritance
  • Nurture: Environmental influences, learned behaviors
  • Interactionalist approach: Combination of both factors
  • Diathesis-stress model: Genetic predisposition + environmental stress
  • Epigenetics: Environmental impact on gene expression
• Nature vs Nurture AO3 - Deterministic

  • Just a nature perspective is deterministic
  • Argues that genetics dictate all behaviour and actions - no point in attempting to change yourself
  • Can lead to scientific racisms linking to race and intelligence
  • Garret - looked at differences in IQ and school performance and explained low scores as a result of genetics
  • Can be used to justify eugenics
  • This becomes an issue because it adds scientific credibility to already prevailing prejudices
• Nature vs Nurture AO3 - Difficult to separate

  • Difficult to separate effects of heredity and environment
  • Ex. when looking at influence of genetics on schizophrenia, most participants also had a shared environment + influence of family environment on anorexics, they also share genetics
  • Also experience life events differently e.g. age and temperament - no 100% MZ concordance rates , cannot be meaningfully separated
  • Difficult to separate
• Nature vs Nurture AO3 - Interactionalist

  • If a genetic disorder can be treated then genetic factors can be overridden, suggesting an interaction between the two
  • Ex. PKU which is a genetic disorder
  • Evidence to suggest that nature plays a vital role in child development
  • However, if the disorder is detected early on in life it can be treated using a low protein diet
  • Evidence to suggest that nurture also plays a role in shaping our behaviour as environmental factors are able to override the genetic abnormalities in some circumstances