Cards (17)

  • What is one strength of research into the nature-nurture debate?
    The use of adoption studies, which help separate genetic and environmental influences.
  • What did Rhee and Waldman (2002) find in their meta-analysis of adoption studies?
    Genetic influences accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression
  • How do adoption studies support research into the nature-nurture debate?
    They show how the separate contributions of nature and nurture can be measured and compared
  • What is a limitation of trying to separate nature and nurture?
    Research suggests that nature and nurture are too interconnected to be studied independently.
  • What did Plomin (1994) propose about the nature-nurture relationship?
    People create their own ‘nurture’ by selecting environments that match their nature, a process called niche-picking.
  • What is niche-picking?
    When individuals choose environments that suit their genetic predispositions (e.g. an aggressive child choosing similarly aggressive peers)
  • How does niche-picking challenge the separation of nature and nurture?
    It shows that genes can influence the environment we choose, which in turn shapes our development — blending nature and nurture
  • How does epigenetics support the nature-nurture debate?
    It shows environmental effects can leave heritable markers.
  • What historical event provides evidence for epigenetic influence?
    The Dutch Hunger Winter (1944)
  • What did Susser and Lin (1992) find about babies born during the Dutch famine?
    They had lower birth weights and higher schizophrenia risk.
  • What does the Dutch Hunger Winter study suggest about epigenetics?
    Life experiences can affect health outcomes of future generations.
  • What is a real-world application of understanding the nature-nurture debate?
    It informs genetic counselling and mental health support.
  • What did Nestadt et al. (2010) find about the heritability of OCD?
    OCD has a heritability rate of 0.76.
  • Why is understanding heritability important for individuals at genetic risk of disorders like OCD?
    High heritability doesn’t mean the disorder is inevitable.
  • What does the real-world application of the nature-nurture debate show?
    It highlights how nature and nurture interact in health contexts.
  • Main strengths of the nature-nurture debate
    • Adoption studies help separate genetic and environmental influences.
    • Epigenetics shows how life experiences can affect gene expression across generations.
    • Real-world application in areas like genetic counselling and mental health support (e.g. OCD heritability)
  • Main weaknesses of the nature-nurture debate
    • Nature and nurture interact too closely to study in isolation (e.g. niche-picking — individuals select environments that match their genetics)
    • Attempts to separate them may be misguided, oversimplifying complex interactions