Nature-Nurture Debate - AO3

• Heritability rate


  Measure of the proportion of variation in a trait that is due to genetic variation
• Nestadt et al. found a 0.76 heritability rate for OCD
• Practical applications of heritability rate

  • Enables understanding of genetic counselling
  • Indicates an individual will inevitably develop the disorder
  • Allows person to seek advice about likelihood of developing OCD and make prevention strategies
• Heritability rate


  Helps understand the interaction between nature and nurture
• Empiricists argue that as twin study statistics do not show 100% heritability, it can't be possible to say mental health disorders are simply genetic</b>
• Empiricists argue that the role of nurture cannot be ignored in mental health disorders due to shared and unshared environments in twins
• Due to shared and unshared environments in twins, it is difficult to separate nature and nurture
• This suggests we will never know the full effect of nature and nurture and cannot make definitive conclusions
• Maguire et al. research on London taxi drivers


  • Posterior hippocampal volume positively correlated with time as taxi driver
  • Taxi drivers' brains significantly larger than control group
• Neural plasticity


  Life experiences can shape our biology
• Spatial memory is the reason why taxi drivers can remember directions, linked to the hippocampus
• Maguire et al. research


  Supports both nature and nurture, shows nurture can affect nature
• The nature-nurture debate has become a meaningless distinction
• Certain behaviours like personality and IQ can't be predicted
• Some believe certain traits like personality and IQ can't be changed, suggesting they are pre-determined
• Biological determinism argues genes like MAOA lead to violent behaviour and criminality
• Empiricists argue that if someone is brought up in a pro-criminal household, they are likely to turn to crime
• Deterministic stances ignore free will and the complexity of human behaviour