Nature and Nurture

Epigenetics

Epigenetics is the material in each cell of the body, which acts as a 'switch' to turn genes on or off. LIFE EXPERIENCES, such as nutrition or stress control these switches.

Evaluation of the Nature Nurture Debate The Interactionist Approach

Almost all psychologists now agree that BOTH nature AND nurture play a role (like two sides of the same coin). So, focusing on just ONE is almost meaningless - both play a role

Attachment and Nature Bowlby

Bowlby's theory of attachment is an evolutionary theory as it assumes infants are biologically programmed to attach in order to survive.

Attachment and Nurture

For example, behaviourists explain that attachment could be explained in terms of classical conditioning (the infant associating the mother with food) and operant conditioning (food reducing the discomfort of hunger), suggesting that nurture is a possible factor in the development of attachments.

Nature affects Nurture Robert Plomin et al (1977) called this

Genes may exert an indirect effect in a number of ways. First, genetic factors create an infant's microenvironment. For example, a child who is genetically more aggressive might provoke an aggressive response in others. This response becomes part of the child's environment and affects the child's development. the child is reacting to genetically influenced behaviour. . Reactive gene-environment interactionbecause

Passive influence Plomin et al

Parents' genes determine aspects of their behaviour. For example, a parent with a genetically determined mental illness creates an unsettled home environment. In this case a child's mental disorder could be due to indirect, passive effects.

Nature

Refers to an individuals innate qualities (nativism)

Evaluation of the Nature Nurture debate links to the development of the diathesis-stress model

The diathesis stress model suggests that you can be born with a biological vulnerability, for example, a gene (or genes) for OCD (or other mental illnesses), however the OCD will only develop if it is triggered from a stressor from the environment.

Example of the Interactionist Approach Intelligence

The interactionist approach argues that we have a genetic predisposition to attain a certain level of intelligence and that we either reach our potential (if the environment is ideal) or we underperform due to environmental factors such as diet, poor education, brain injury, etc. It is unlikely that many people experience an optimum environment that allows them to extend their intelligence to its full potential.

Is the Nature Nurture debate polarised interactionist stance focusing on what

The nature-nurture debate has moved away from the argument between the extreme circumstances in recent times, and now tends to acknowledge that an interactionist stance is more appropriate, therefore, the argument now tends to focus on the relative importance of nature and nurture (i.e. how much is nature, how much is nurture)

Research on the relative heritability of a characteristic varies greatly

This could be due to many things such as sample type and size, methodology and age. Indeed, it may be possible that some people are more susceptible to environmental influences than others, this means that a consensus is going to be difficult to reach regarding the nature-nurture debate

Nature Higher concordance rates rates in MZ twins compared to DZ twins (for example, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia) suggest what However

greater genetic link no research has found a 100% concordance rate in MZ twins. This suggests a link with NURTURE.

Nature and nurture can not be separated In a practical sense, the nature-nurture debate is impossible to answer, because it is almost impossible to disentangle NATURE and NURTURE influences. Environmental influences begin as soon as a child's life begins (before it is born!). For example,

in TWIN STUDIES it is often difficult to tell if HIGH CONCORDANCE RATES are due to shared genetics or shared environments (the 'shared environment' criticism is the idea that twins are often raised in very similar environments - especially if they are identical! ).

Issues in assessing the relative importance of nature and nurture

in assessing the importance of nature nurture twin studies have highlighted some difficult issues. Identical twins, for example, often share similar environments (same household, parental influences, school etc) and that makes it difficult to say if a behaviour is based on genetics or environment.

Nurture

refers to personal experiences (i.e. empiricism or behaviorism). Nurture refers to your childhood, or how you were brought up. It is how the environment shapes your behaviours and how friends and family interact with you

Nurture Affects Nature Neural Plasticity Maguire et al (2000)

study of London taxi drivers showed that the region of their brains associated with spatial memory was 'bigger' than in controls. This is not because they were born this way but because their hippocampus had responded to increased use when learning to become taxi drivers

Interactionist Approach

takes a stance somewhere between the extreme nature and extreme nurture positions. It argues that the true answer to the nature-nurture debate is, in reality, that both genetics and the environment play a part in behaviour. It seems likely, this approach argues, that genetics gives us a predisposition to certain behaviours, the potential, if you like, to act a certain way. However, that genetic indication is moderated by the environment. The phenotype is the interaction of genetics and environment.

What does epigenetics provide support for

the idea that genes and environment are much less separate than previously thought.