nature v nurture debate

Question 1

what is this argument about

Answer 1

based on the argument that either genes (nature) or environment (nurture) determine behavior

Question 2

what is included in the environment

Answer 2

everything outside of our body so influences on behaviour that are non genetic
includes people, events etc

Question 3

what is included as apart of nature

Answer 3

any influence that is genetic e.g action of genes, neurochemistry, neurotransmitters, neurological structures

Question 4

hereditary meaning

Answer 4

The process by which traits are passed from parents to their offspring, usually referring to genetic inheritance.

Question 5

what are some methods of studying nature

Answer 5

Brain scanning e.g. fMRI, EEG

Concordance rates as used in twin studies

DNA analysis via urine or saliva samples

Question 6

what can be used to determine the extent to which phenotype is determined purely by genotype or by external factors

Answer 6

hereditary coefficient

Question 7

what does a value of 1 mean

Answer 7

behavior/trait is purely genetic

Question 8

what does a value of 0.5 mean

Answer 8

half of the behavior/trait is genetic and half is determined by environment

Question 9

what does a value of 0.1 mean

Answer 9

behavior/traits is not genetic and is determined by environment

Question 10

whats an example of extreme nature in the course (think attachment)

Answer 10

Bowlby’s theory of attachment is an example of a pro-nature argument as he based his ideas on the work of ethologists such as Lorenz, concluding that attachment is an essential evolutionary mechanism needed for the survival of the species

Question 11

in terms of nurture, how does learning occur

Answer 11

conditioning based on environmental forces/stimuli

Question 12

whats an example of research in psychology

Answer 12

conformity to social roles as in the Stanford Prison experiment
behavior emerged from the roles and the environment, not from any inborn traits.
environment nurtured certain behaviors—aggression in guards, helplessness in prisoners.

Question 13

whats an extreme example

Answer 13

Locke’s ‘blank slate’, ready to be ‘written on’ by life experiences

Question 14

strength of nature

Answer 14

researchers examine concordance rates that have successfully shown that mz twins have higher cr compared to dz twins suggesting a genetic component

Question 15

whats evidence of this (think AN)

Answer 15

Holland et al identical twins had 11x the rates of AN than non-identical twins
56%

Question 16

whys this good- what can be concluded from this

Answer 16

This can lead to early diagnosis, better treatment, or even preventive care for certain conditions.

Question 17

however…

Answer 17

the absence of a 100% concordance rate, which would be expected if the conditions are purely genetic) implies both genetic and environmental factors play a role

Question 18

whats a limitation of nature

Answer 18

Can result in prejudiced, overly deterministic, and possibly dangerous assumptions being made about people based on their gender, ethnicity, sexuality etc.

Question 19

whats a book that showed this happening

Answer 19

The Bell Curve for promoting the idea that IQ is largely genetically determined, and that this determines people’s life outcomes (like success, income, or even criminality).

Question 20

what can be concluded from this

Answer 20

It also implies that social inequalities are “natural” or inevitable, rather than shaped by systems and structures when there is no empirical evidence to support this

Question 21

whats a strength of the nurture debate

Answer 21

nurture being a key influence on behavior is evidenced by the two-process model of phobias

Question 22

explain this

Answer 22

can explain the development of phobias-learned via classical conditioning

(e.g. a dog bite as a child) changes a neutral stimulus (the dog that bit you) into a conditioned phobic stimulus (dogs in general)

Reinforced via operant conditioning
Every time you see a dog you feel high anxiety, fear, panic etc. which only ceases when the dog is out of sight

Question 23

what can be concluded from this

Answer 23

shows that phobias can develop through personal experience, not genetics.
The conditioning process relies on external events (like trauma or reinforcement), which are all part of the individual’s environment- core to the nurture argument.
Avoidance of the phobic stimulus reduces anxiety (negative reinforcement), making the behavior more likely to continue highlighting the role of learning and experience.

Question 24

whats a limitation of this

Answer 24

doesn’t account for individual differences between people raised in the same environment

Question 25

whats an example of this

Answer 25

One child may turn to crime while the other child never breaks the law One child may develop a drug addiction while the other child does not

Question 26

what can be concluded from this

Answer 26

If nurture alone were responsible for behavior, we would expect far more similarity between individuals exposed to the same environmental influences. This suggests that biological or genetic factors (nature) must also play a role, interacting with environmental experiences to shape behavior. highlights the importance of considering nature and nurture together.

Question 27

what may be a model to use to explain this

Answer 27

the interactionalist model diathesis stress model

Question 28

what is this

Answer 28

recognises that both biological (nature) and environmental (nurture) factors are interconnected and constantly influencing each other- rather than acting in isolation.

Question 29

whats an example of this in psychodynamics

Answer 29

freud argued kids go through psychosexual stages of development at specific stages that are biologically driven but the incompletion of a certain stage due to their environment can be used to explain later behavior such as lack of oral development may lead to smoking and overeating

Question 30

whats another

Answer 30

Diathesis-stress model: Suggests people may inherit vulnerabilities (diathesis), but whether a disorder develops depends on environmental stress.

Question 31

what can be concluded from this

Answer 31

Takes into account the multifactorial nature of human behaviour while still being focused and specific. It offers a more accurate, balanced, and practical understanding.