ISSUES AND DEBATES: The Nature-Nurture Debate

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Define environment.
Any non-genetic influences on human behaviour. Can also include pre-natal influences such as smoking as well as societal.
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Who initally said that human characteristics, and even some aspects of knowledge, are innate?
Rene Descartes.
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What is the nature-nurture debate?
The extent to which human behaviour is determined by inherited or aquired characteristics.
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Define heredity.
Genetic transmission of mental and physical traits from one generation to another.
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What is the interactionist approach?
The study of the interaction between nature and nurture, as they are linked to such an extent it makes no sense to separate the two.
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What is the heritability coefficient?
Used to assess heredity, it is a numerical figure 0-1.0 indicating the extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis.
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What is the heritability coefficient for IQ and what does this suggest?
0.5, meaning genetic and environmental factors have equal influence.
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Who was one of the first to imply that the mind was a blank slate at birth?
The empiricist and philosopher John Locke.
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Which approach is nuture centric?
The behaviourist approach.
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Who identified different levels of the environment?
Richard Lerner.
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What is a 'narrow' level of the environment?
Pre-natal influence.
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What is a 'general' level of the environment?
Social conditions, historical and cultural context.
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Give an example of the interactionist approach.
The child's innate temperament influences how the parents react to it -> their response influences the child's behaviour. Nature creates nurture.
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What does the diathesis-stress model say about the interaction between nature and nurture?
Psychopathology is caused by a genetic vulnerability, which is only expressed if a biological/environment trigger occurs.
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What are epigenetics?
A change in our genetic activity without altering our genetic code.
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Give an example of epigenetics.
Smoking, diet, pollution, war.
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What do the epigenetic 'marks' do?
Tell our bodies which genes to use and ignore, which may influence the genetic codes of our children, as well as further generations.
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What element do epigenetics add to the nature-nurture debate?
The life experience of future generations.
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Which approach is nature centric and why?
Biological, because it focuses on heredity, hormones and chemicals, though interaction with the environment is acknowledged (phenotypes).
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Which approach is interactionist and why?
Cognitive, as innate processing abilities are constantly refined by experience.
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Which approach is between nature and interactionist and why?
Psychodynamic, because instinctive drives such as sex and agression drive behaviour, but relationship with parents is important.
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Which approach is between interactionist and nurture and why?
Accepts human's basic physiological needs (Maslow's hierarchy) but the focus is a person's experience of their social environment.
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What is a positive consequence of adopting a nativist view?
There is more compassion for mental disorders as it is seen to not be your fault.
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What is a negative consequence of adopting a nativist view?
Negative behaviours cannot be changed, and therefore it promotes the ethically questionable eugenics.
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What is a positive consequence of adopting an empiricist view?
Behaviour shaping in therapy means any negative behaviours can theoretically be altered.
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What is a negative consequence of adopting an empiricist view?
Can advocate a model of society that controls and manipulates its citizens, and can lead to parent blaming for children's mental disorders.
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Why is it difficult to tease out relative influences of genes and environment in twin studies?
In sharing the same environment, you may not share the same influence as individual differences mean you experience life events differently.
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Where can the diathesis-stress model be applied?
Schizophrenia, OCD, depression, alzheimers, PKU
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Examples of the interactionist approach.
Diathesis-stress model, explanations of crime, interactional synchrony and reciprocity.
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How would we describe the interactionist approach?
Bidirectional- nature influences nurture, nurture influence nature.
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What is is called when nature influences nurture?
Constructivism.
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What is the process of constructivism?
When people create their own 'nuture' by actively selecting environments appropriate the their nature (also known as niche-picking).
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How is niche-picking evidence for the interactionist approach?
Evidences that it is illogical to separate nature/nurture influences.
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What are the three types of genotype-environment interaction?
Passive, evocative and active interaction.
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Define passive interaction.
Parents' genes influence the way they treat their children.
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Define evocative interaction.
The child's genes influence and shape the environment they grow up in.
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Define active interaction.
The child creates its own environment through the people and experiences it selects.
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Give an example of passive interaction.
Musically gifted parents play to children and encourage engagement with music.
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Give an example of evocative interaction.
The musically talented children will be picked for school concerts and given special opportunities.
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Give an example of active interaction.
The musically gifted child chooses, similar, musically talented friends and experiences.
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What is it called when nuture influences nature?
Epigenetics.
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Give an example of epigenetics.
Famine in Sweden and Denmark meant that 3 generations later there was an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Who initally said that human characteristics, and even some aspects of knowledge, are innate?

Back

Rene Descartes.

Card 3

Front

What is the nature-nurture debate?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Define heredity.

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is the interactionist approach?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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