learning (nature vs nurture) Flashcards
(8 cards)
The debate
The nature vs nurture debate spans many areas of psychology
It examines the extent to which nature (what you are born with, includes genetics) and nurture (your environment, how you are raised) impact on human development
Twin studies and longitudinal studies of families give us insight into the role of genetics
Learning
We learn all behaviours that are not normal involuntary and automatic physiological responses
If we could not learn, we would not be able to exist independently
Learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of experience
Learning is ongoing through life and allows us to adapt and cope with change
Critical Learning Period
A critical learning period is the set amount of time an organism has to learn before the brain no longer has the capacity to process the stimulus
Findings in neuroplasticity would suggest that we can always change our brain
However, there is also evidence which suggests that if we are never exposed to particular stimuli then our brain permanently loses the ability to process it
Critical Learning and Cats
An initial break through into the idea of critical learning periods was discovered through Hubel and Wiesel’s kittens
One half of the cohort of cats was raised in a stark environment with only vertical lines, the other with only horizontal lines
Once grown, these cats were placed in the real world and they found that the cats were blind to the stimuli that they had not been exposed to
Tests done using nerve conduction technology found that the cats neurons (brain cells) only fired in response to vertical and horizontal lines respectively
Language Development
Noam Chomsky theorised that language is innate
His argument was that language is too detailed to possibly be entirely input through environmental learning
He developed the idea of universal grammar
However case studies such as Genie and Victor of Aveyron suggest that this is not the case
The critical learning period for language appears to be somewhere between 5-puberty
Language Development
Children typically produce their first words between 10 and 14 months and their vocabulary rapidly increases from then on, especially during a spurt at about 18 months
Language development proceeds through different stages:
Holophrases – one-words that stand for a whole phrase but can mean different things in different contexts e.g. “Mama” could mean “I want to be picked up by mum” or “I want mum to feed me” or “where is mum”
Two word combinations – e.g. “Mama come” or ‘dog bark”
Telegraphic speech – speech in which words not critical are left out
Infant directed speech
Infant-directed speech (motherese) includes the use of short, simple sentences and is said in a pitch that is higher than that used with older children and adults
Infant-directed speech is similar across cultures
Self and identity
Nature: shows how genes can impact how our identity is formed and influence the way we develop
Nurture: the environmental factors that impact who we are
For example: Children’s biological strengths and weaknesses (nature) influence their developing self-esteem, but so too do their interactions with family and the social environment (nurture).
Language enables children to gain self-confidence, self-awareness, autonomy and independence through the ability to verbalise needs, wishes, boundaries, preferences, dislikes and anything that determines the self.
Language helps us express our feelings and thoughts!
Anything else?
