nature vs nurture

Cards (16)

  • main question?
    • what is the relative contribution of nature/nurture on human behaviour?
  • define nativism?
    • describes stance that agrees with nature side of debate
  • define nativists?
    • suggest we are born with pre-disposition & pre-programmed behaviours - innaate
  • nature side?
    • belief that behaviour is result of genes we inherit
    • heredity is more influentiral in determining behaviour
  • example of nature stance?
    • biological explanation for aggression suggests high levels of testosterone plays role in cause of aggression
    • research has shown that when mice were castrated & testosterone decreased aggression also decreased
    • when testosterone later reinjected aggression increases
    • shows aggression has biological basis so is on nativist side as it shows behaviour is predetermined by our hormones so environment doesnt play role
  • nurture side?
    • belief that behaviour is result of environmental (external) factors
    • assumes that environment & experience is more influential in behaviour
  • define empiricism?
    • opposing extreme viewpoint suggesting we are born without any innate mechanisms
    • instead all we become is due to our experiences
    • we are born as blank slates & what we experience defines us as a person
  • example of nurture stance?
    • learning approach to explaining phobias as it says environment causes our phobia due to associating frightening experience with stimulus & maintaining phobia through reinforcement
    • they claim that it has nothing to do with biology its purely down to environment
  • relative importance of herdity & environment in determing behaviour?
    • nature-nurture is an impossible question to answer
    • environmental influence in childs life begins as soon as child is borm
    • so they are closely intertwined - difficult to separate 2
  • twin studies?
    • one way of studying heredity
    • ocd - mz twins concordance rate is 87% whereas dz twins is 47%
    • behaviour is based on genetics as mz twins more genetically similar so more likely to suffer from ocd HOWEVER...
    • if it was purely down to genetics concordance rates for mz twins should be 100% showing that heredity & environment may affect behaviour
  • interactionist approach?
    • suggests both genetics & environment play part in behaviour
    • suggests person may be genetically predisposed to certain behaviour/trait however its moderated by environment - may not suffer from it until triggered by factor in environment
  • example of interactionist approach?
    • diathesis stress model - abnormality is caused by both biology & environment
    • sz - someone has genetic predisposition by having PCM1 gene/neural correlates but this can lay dormant & never be expressed until stressor in environment such as family dysfunction triggers development of sz
  • evidence from gottesman - nature?
    • reviewed 40 twin studies & found 48% concordance for mz twins & 17% for dz twins for sz
    • suggests genetics do influence sz as those more genetically similar are more likely to have sz compared to those less genetically similar.
    • nature side is influential approach to behaviour as concordance rates of twins is evidnece that shows genetics play huge role in behaviour rather than nurture
  • X problems with methodology?
    • most research to see whether nature/nurture is most important come from twin studies
    • problem is that it makes assumption that only difference between mz & dz twins is genetics
    • but parenting style differs for mz & dz twins - mz treated more similarly than dz as theyre identical
    • means difference between mz & dz twins concordance may not just be genetics & may be due to upbringing & environment.
    • cant be certain that behaviour is due to nature/nurture as both sides of argument may be needed not just 1
  • * practical application - nurture?
    • empiricists argue that all behaviour is learnt through environment & experiences - reinforcements
    • if this is case can help in real world in prisons
    • token economy so that prisoners are rewarded through positive reinforcement so theyre more likely to repeat good behaviour & be rehabilitates
    • nurture side influential approach to behaviour as its helped in real world so must be accurate
  • X better stance is appropriate?
    • nature side of debate - behaviour is purely due to biology & genetics
    • nuture side - all behaviour is learnt
    • but currently more popular & accurate stance is that behaviour is a result of both nature & nurture.
    • problem with nature/nurture debate is that interactionist approach may be more accurate as it takes into account both nature & nurture