nature vs nurture

• the nature vs nurture debate is concerned with the extent to which aspect of behaviour are a product of inherited characteristics (nature) and environmental influences (nurture)
• Rene Descartes is considered an early nativist- this means he believed in nature as an explanation. He believed that human characteristics and some aspects of knowledge are innate- result of heredity.
• Heredity is the genetic transmission of mental and physical characteristics from one generation to another.
• heritability coefficient 


  numericial figure from 0-1 which indicates the extent to which a characteristics has a genetic bias.
• John Locke is considered an empiricist. He argued the mind is a blank state at birth and that learning and experience shape us.
• Lemer (1986) the environment is quite vague so defined different levels of the enviroment.
• interactionist approach is the idea that nature and nurture are linked to such an extent that it does not make sense to separate the two.
• models of mental illness which emphasise the influence of nature and nurture tend to be more persuasive
• diathesis-stress model suggests that psychopathology is caused by a biological/genetic vulnerability (diathesis) which is only expressed when coupled with a biological/environmental 'trigger' (stressor)
• Tienari found that adopted children who lived in dysfunctional families and had a biological relative with sz were most likely to develop the disorder.
• Epigenetics refers to the change in our genetic activity, without changing our genetic code.
• epigenetics 


  this change happens throughout life and is caused by an interaction with the environment. The environment leaves marks on our DNA, which is passed down through generation.
• research support for epigenetics

  Dias and Ressler gave rats an electric shock every time they were exposed to acetophenone (chemical used in perfume). The rats eventually showed a fear reaction every time the smell was present... but so did their children and grandchildren (even though they had not been exposed to the shicks)
• implications of nativism and empiricism


  extreme beliefs in the influence of nature or nurture may have negative implications for how we view human behaviour. Nativist suggests that genes determine behaviour and characteristics (anatomy is detiny) and that the environment has little input. This extreme determinist stance has led to controversy such as that which attempted to link race, genetics and intelligence and the application of eugenics policies. Recognising that human nature is both nature and nurture is a more reasonable way to approach the management of human behaviour.
• shared and unshared environment

  research attempting to 'tease out' the influence of the environment is complicated by the fact that even siblings raised with in the same family will not have identical upbringings. Dunn and Plomin suggests individual differences mean siblings may experience life events differently (age, temperature leads to a life event e.g parental divorce having a different meaning to each sibling). explain the findings that even MZ twins reared together do not show perfect concordance rates, supporting that heredity and the environment cannot be meaningfully separated.
• constructivism (weakness)


  Gene-environment interactions can be explained by constructivism. People create their own nurture by actively selecting their own environments appropriate for their nature. A naturally aggressive child is more comfortable around similar children and 'chooses' their environment accordingly. This environment then effects their development. Plomin calls this niche-picking and niche-building. This provides further evidence that its impossible and illogical to try and separate nature and nurture.
• relationships to other debates


  we are able to understand nature and nurture in the context of other debates. A strong commitment to either a nature or nurture position corresponds to a belief in hard determinism. The nativist perspective suggests that 'anatomy is destiny' while empirist argue that interaction with the environment is all. These equate to biological and environmental determinism, showing how nature-nurture links to other debates.