The Nature Nurture Debate

• What is the nature-nurture debate?

  The nature-nurture debate is a discussion about the relative influence of genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) on human development and behavior.
• What do Nativists argue?

  that human characteristics are innate 
• What do empiricists argue?

  that the mind is a blank slate and is shaped by the environment
• What is heredity?

  The passing on of traits from parents to offspring.
• What did Descarte argue?

  that human characteristics are innate and the result of heredity
• What did Locke argue?

  the mind is a blank slate at birth upon which learning and experience writes: the result of the environment
• What is the heritability coefficient?


  Heritability coefficient is used to assess heredity.Ranges from 0-1 ,indicates the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis.For IQ it is 0.5 across multiple studies,thus suggesting that both genetics and the environment are important factors in intelligence.
• What different levels of environment did Lerner identify?

  • pre-natal terms: the mother’s physical and psychological state during pregnancy
  • post natal experiences: the social conditions ,cultural context
• What is the interactionist approach?

  Nature and nurture interact. For example,attachment patterns between an infant and its parents are often the result of the child’s innate temperament and its influence on the parent response
• What is the diathesis-stress model?

  Suggests that psychopathology is caused by biological/genetic vulnerability(the diathesis)which is only expressed when coupled with a biological or environmental trigger(the stressor)
• What did Tienari et al find?

  found that in a group of Finnish adoptees those most likely to develop schizophrenia had biological relatives with a history of disorder (the vulnerability) and had relationships with their adoptive families that were defined as 'dysfunctional' (the trigger)
• What is Epignenetics?

  Refers to a change in our genetic activity without changing our genetic code.Interactions with the environment leave epigenetic marks on our DNA which tell our body what genes to ignore and which to use which is then passed on.
• Why is epigentics important in this debate?

  Introduces a third element in the debate:the life experience of previous generations

  Dias and Ressler gave male lab mice an electric shock every time they were exposed to the smell of a chemical.The mice showed a fear reaction as soon as the scent was present(conditioning).The mices children also feared the smell even though they hadn’t been exposed to the smell or given any shocks.
• What are the implications of nativism?

  Nativists suggest that our genetic makeup determines our characteristics and behaviour.The extreme determists stance has led to controversy such as that which attempted to link race,genetics and intelligence and the application of eugenics policies.
• What are the implications of empiricism?

  Empiricists would suggest that behaviour can be changed by altering environmental conditions.Behaviour shaping has led to practical application in therapy.Desirable behaviours are reinforced ,whereas undesirable ones are ignores or punished.This may lead one to advocate a model of society that controls and manipulates citizens using these techniques.
• What is Constructivism?

  the notion that genes and the environment interact.People create their own nurture by actively selecting environments that are appropriate for their nature.
• What did Dunn and Plomin suggest about siblings that share the same enviroment?

  that individual differences mean that siblings may experience life event differently. For example, age and/or temperament would mean that a life event such as parental divorce would have a different meaning to each sibling
• What is an example of constructivism?

  a naturally more aggressive child will likely feel more comfortable around children who show similar behaviour and will 'choose' their environment accordingly
• What does Plomin refer to constructivism as?

  as niche picking and niche building
• What theory did Scarr and McCartney put forward?

  Gene-environment interaction theory
• What is the Gene-environment interaction theory?

  Includes three types

  • Passive interaction- the parents gene influence the way they treat their child (musically gifted parents will encourage their children to play an instrument)
  • Evocative interaction- the child'd gene influence and shape the environment in which they grow up (musically talented children will have special opportunities and be picked for school concerts)
  • Active interaction- the child creates its own environment through the people and experiences it selects (musical children will befriend other musical children)