Nature vs Nurture in brain development Flashcards
What is brain development
Brain development refers to the growth of the brain and the formation of connections between neurones
Factors used to measure brain development
-Brain size
-Number of neurones
-Level of brain functioning
Why is it difficult to determine the impact of nature or nurture on brain development
-It is difficult to determine the impact of nature or nurture on brain development because the genes and environment of an organism interact with each other, making it difficult to separate the impacts of each
-In order to investigate the impact of one factor (gene/environment) a scientist would have to completely remove the influence of the other
Method of measuring the effects of nature and nurture on brain development (Animal experiments investigating impact of environment)
Scientists investigate the impact of different environments on brain development by placing animals of the same species into different environments
-As animals of the same species have similar genes, any differences in brain development will likely be due to the changed environmental factors
Method of investigating impact of nature (genetic modification)
Animal experiments
-Genetic modifications can be used to switch off the function of a gene in an animal
-The genetically altered animal will then be raised alongside the unaltered animal in the same environment, enabling scientists to determine the effect of genetic factors on brain development
Issues with genetic modification of animals to determine the effect of nature on brain development
-It is considered unethical by some to genetically modify animals for the sole reason of benefiting humans
-It is considered unethical to genetically modify humans
Why are twin studies used to determine the impact of environmental/ genetic factors
-Twins share 100% of genetics so if they are in different environments then any differences in brain development will be due to nurture and any similarities will be due to nature
Issues with twin studies
-Twin studies are usually raised in similar environments, meaning it is difficult to distinguish between the impact of nature and nurture
Cross Cultural Differences
-Differences in cultures provide different environmental influences on the brain development of children
-Scientists can investigate this by comparing large groups of children of similar age from different cultural backgrounds
-Any differences in brain development are more likely to be due to nurture, whereas any similarities will likely be due to nature
Newborn studies
-The level of brain development in babies is more likely to be due to nature rather than nurture as the environment outside the womb would not influence the brain development of a newborn baby
-Babies are born with basic abilities e.g crying and feeding suggesting the influence of nature
-Babies do not instantly develop speech which suggests the impact of nurture
Brain injuries
-Brain damage in adults is harder to repair, as their brains are fully developed, however scientists are able to study the effects of brain damage on children as their brains have not fully developed
-Scientists can identify a particular characteristic and compare the development of this trait in people with brain injuries and without brain injuries
