nature-nurture debate

Question 1

nature

Answer 1

• behaviour is the product of innate biological or genetic factors
• for a long time, psychologists have known that certain physical characteristics, like eye colour, and certain diseases are biologically determined and the result of genetic inheritance
• this is the nativist position, underlying belief is that our characteristics are a product of evolution and that individual differences are due to each persons genetic code

Question 2

family, twin and adoption studies

Answer 2

• show that the closer two people are related, the more likely they will have the same behaviours
• the risk of sz is 1%, but when both parents have it this increases to 46% (gottesman and shields, 1991)
• average concordance rate for sz of 40.4% for mz twins and 7.4% for dz twins

Question 3

maturation

Answer 3

• characteristics not observable at birth but emerge later in life are said to be the result of maturation
• we have a biological clock which switches certain behaviours on or off in a pre-programmed way

Question 4

evolutionary explanations

Answer 4

• emphasise the importance of nature, stating that behaviours that increase our chances of survival will be genetically inherited
• bowlby suggested that children are biologically programmed to form attachments because it helps them to survive - attachment behaviours are naturally selected and passed on

Question 5

strength of nature
1/1

Answer 5

supported by the effectiveness of biological treatments for psychological disorders, such as SSRI’s to treat depression and OCD. when given to patients, they significantly reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. so by taking a nature approach, therapies such as drugs can be established for psychological disorders to improve peoples lives. also supported by concordance rates of these disorders using family, twin and adoption studies. e.g. in the general population the concordance rate for sz is 1%, but when both parents have it this increases to 46%. strongly indicates a genetic component to different psychological disorders

Question 6

limitation of nature (and strength of interactionist)
1/1

Answer 6

argue both a genetic predisposition and environmental trigger are required for a psychological disorder (diathesis-stress model). e.g. the concordance rate for sz is 46% when both parents have it, but if nature was responsible for all behaviour, it could be argued that this concordance rate should be 100% - indicates that other factors aside from biology play a role in disorders and human behaviour. further study of 155 adopted children with sz mothers as well as children with no sz family history found that neither the genetics or environment alone resulted in sz, and that a combination of both was required to trigger the disorder

Question 7

nuture

Answer 7

• behaviour is the result of environmental influences (anything outside the body)
• environmentalists believe the mind is a tabula rasa which is gradually filled with experience
• psychological characteristics that emerge through childhood are the result of learning, e.g. cc and oc as proposed by behaviourists
• bandura argued we learn via observation, vicarious reinforcement and imitation. but did acknowledge that aggression may be biological

Question 8

to explain sz

Answer 8

• batson et al (1956) proposed the double bind theory - sz is the result of contradictory communication within the family
• prolonged exposure to this prevents the development of a coherent construction of reality, manifesting as sz symptoms

Question 9

strength of nurture
1/1

Answer 9

led to practical applications such as the use of classical and operant conditioning in phobia therapies, which aim to break the negative stimulus-response association that led to the development of the phobia. known as systematic desensitisation, in which a new bond is formed through the use of relaxation techniques in order to unlearn the phobia. this treatment developed by the basis of the nurture approach has been highly effective in allowing patients to overcome their phobias

Question 10

limitation of nurture (and strength of interactionist)
1/1

Answer 10

most psychologists have accepted that neither nature nor nurture work independently and that both are essential for almost all behaviour. supported by neural plasticity, which is the brains ability to reorganise itself and create new neural connections - changes in the brain (nature) occur as a result of experiences in life (nurture). maguire et al (2000) found that the hippocampus volume was larger in london taxi drivers than non taxi drivers. they concluded that driving a taxi had influenced the size of their hippocampus - supporting the interaction between nature and nurture