Nature or Nurture debate

Question 1

Nature-Nurture Debate

Answer 1

The nature-nurture debate concerns the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining behaviour.

Question 2

Nature

Answer 2

The nature view assumes that heredity (genetics) is more influential

The nature side of the debate is founded in nativist theory, which suggests that knowledge and abilities are innate (i.e., qualities or abilities we are born with)

Question 3

Nurture

Answer 3

The nurture view assumes that environment and experience is more influential.

The nurture side of the debate is founded in empiricist theory, which argues that knowledge and abilities derives from learning and experience.

Question 4

Interactionalism

Answer 4

Interactionism is the view that biology and environment work together to determine behaviour

Question 5

Nature-Nurture debate eval (-)

Answer 5

• There is extensive research evidence for interactionism. For instance, IQ heritability is around 0.5, meaning both genetics and environment play key and equal roles in intelligence.
• Diathesis-stress models explain mental illness as an interaction between genetic vulnerability (diathesis) and environmental triggers (stress). Tienari et al. (2004) found that Finnish adoptees were most at risk of schizophrenia when they had both a genetic predisposition and dysfunctional adoptive family relationships.
• Nature can influence nurture. Plomin’s Niche-Picking Theory suggests that individuals actively select environments that align with their genetic traits, reinforcing their natural tendencies and shaping their development.
• Nurture can influence nature. Maguire et al. (2000) found that London taxi drivers had a larger hippocampus than a control group. The hippocampus, which deals with spatial memory, adapted to the drivers’ increased use of navigational skills. This suggests that the brain changes in response to experience rather than being solely determined by genetics.
• Epigenetics introduces a third factor in the nature-nurture debate: the influence of previous generations’ experiences on our genetic code and DNA. Lifestyle factors—such as smoking, diet, pollution, and war—leave epigenetic markers on our DNA. These markers regulate gene expression, meaning they can switch genes on or off.