nature vs nurture

concerned with the extent to which aspects of behavior are a product of inhereted or aquired characteristics  

inherited, innate factors which affect our behavior. 

early nativists, such as Rene Descartes argued that human characteristics and some aspects of knowledge are the result of heredity (the genetic transition of physical and mental characteristics from one generation to another). 

behavior is fromed by the environment. 

empericists, such as John Locke suggested that the mind was a blank slate (TABULA RASA) at birth, upon which learning and experiences mold our behavior.

later formed part of the behaviorist approach.  

used to assess heredity. 

ranges from 1-10, indicating to what extent a characteristic has a genetic basis. 

IQ has a general figure of around 0.5 across many studies in varying populations (Plomin 1994) - this suggests that both genetics and environment are important factors in intelligence. 

Richard Lerner identified different levels of environment. 

this is because the concept of environmental influences needed further clarification as "the environment" is an extremely broad term. 

 the idea that nature and nurture are linked to such an extent that it doesnt make sense to sperate the two. 

therefore, researchers study how they interact and influence each other. 

suggests that psychopathology is caused by biological/genetic vulnerability (diatheses), which is expressed when coupled with a biological or environmental triggor (stressor). 

models of mental ilness which emphasise the way in which nauture and nurture interact togther tend to be the most persuasive. 

research - Pekka Tienari et al. (2004)

a change in our genetic activity without changing our genetic code. 

caused by interaction with the environment. 

aspects of our lifestyle and events we encounter leave "marks" on our DNA, these marks tell our bodies which genes to ignore and which to use, and may go on to influence the genetic code of our offspring. 

research - Brian Dias and Kerry Ressler (2014)