Nature vs nurture

• Girl toys vs boy toys

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWu44AqF0iI
  • 3:25min
• What is a monkeys favourite toy?

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm9xXyw2f7g
  • 3:20 min
• How the data was collected

  • How it could have been 'more scientific' in relation to reliability, validity, objectivity, replicability
• Ethics regarding use of animals in research

  • Find out what are the ethical considerations when working with animals
• Nature vs nurture


  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mvZ4EbPbME
  • 6:15min
• Nativism (extreme nature position)

  • Long known that certain physical characteristics are biologically determined by genetic inheritance
  • Color of eyes, straight / curly hair, pigmentation of skin + certain diseases = genes we inherit
  • Led many to speculate as to whether psychological characteristics such as behavioral tendencies, personality attributes, and mental abilities are also "wired in" before we are even born
  • People who adopt extreme hereditary position = nativists
  • Basic assumption = characteristics of human species as a whole are a product of evolution + that individual differences are due to each person's unique genetic code
• Nativism


  • Earlier a particular ability appears, the more likely it is to be under the influence of genetic factors
  • Estimates of genetic influence = heritability
  • Chomsky (1965) proposed language is gained through the use of an innate language acquisition device
  • Freud's theory of aggression as being an innate drive (called Thanatos)
  • Characteristics + differences that are not observable at birth, but which emerge later in life = product of maturation
  • We all have an inner "biological clock" which switches on (or off) types of behavior in a pre-programmed way
  • Bodily changes that occur in early adolescence at puberty
  • Nativists also argue that maturation governs the emergence of attachment in infancy, language acquisition, and even cognitive development
• Empiricism (extreme nurture position)


  • Environmentalists – also known as empiricists (not to be confused with the other empirical / scientific approach)
  • Basic assumption is that at birth, the human mind is a tabula rasa (a blank slate) and that this is gradually "filled" as a result of experience (e.g., behaviorism)
  • Psychological characteristics and behavioral differences that emerge through infancy and childhood are the results of learning
  • It is how you are brought up (nurture) that governs the psychologically significant aspects of child development and the concept of maturation applies only to the biological
• Empiricism


  • Bandura's (1977) social learning theory states that aggression is learned from the environment through observation and imitation. This is seen in his famous bobo doll experiment (Bandura, 1961)
• Ethical issues using animals in research

  • https://quizlet.com/gb/638542904/ethical-issues-using-animals-in-research-flash-cards/
  • https://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html
  • https://create.kahoot.it/share/the-ethics-of-the-use-of-animals-in-research/16a18d9f-7284-4179-a0bc-a135a9926ed9