Nature vs. Nurture

Evolutionary Bases on Behavior

Evolutionary psychology - Studies how evolution may have shaped animal and human behavior For example, humans tend to have a preference for fatty foods. Evolutionary psychologists believe that this is because our ancestors, who were hunters and gatherers, needed the fatty foods to increase their chances of survival. Evolution and genes - Many of the genes organisms have are thought to be a result of evolution.

Punnett Square

Scientists may use a diagram called a Punnett square. - Used to determine the probability and possible outcomes of a genetic cross - Allows one to see what traits may be inherited

Example of Historical View

Sir Francis Galton (Nature) - Pioneer in intelligence testing - Believed that behavior and intelligence depend almost entirely on one's genetic makeup

Socioeconomic Influences

Socioeconomic status - Social and economic factors Living condition - Include the environment where one grows up and the quality of one's environment Economics - Include our living conditions, which are directly influenced by socioeconomic status Locality - One's income and social status influences where we live or locality (can influence behavior)

Is it Nature or Nurture?

Some psychologists argue that many characteristics are influenced by both nature and nurture. - Intellectual ability (some argue that it limits intellectual ability, but nurture helps it develop) - Disease - Personality characteristics - External behavior - Physical appearance (height)

Types of Studies Used

Studies are used by researchers to determine the impact of heredity and genes. - Some of those studies include family studies. Family studies - Study resembles among blood relatives - Can indicate whether a trait runs in a family Twin studies - Study identical and fraternal twins - Compare similarities Adoption studies - Study resemblance among adopted children and their biological and adoptive parents

Characteristics Influenced by Nurture

Supporters of the nurture perspective would argue that our genetic makeup is less influential than the environment we grow up in with regards to who we are. - Nurture primarily influences beliefs, values, and developmental capacity.

Fitness and Adaptation

The two concepts at the heart of Darwin's theory and evolutionary theory are fitness and adaptation. Fitness - Ability of an individual to survive and reproduce Adaptation - Inherited characteristic that increases one's chance of survival Darwin proposed that fitness is the result of adaptation. Adaptive behavioral traits - Eating habits and behaviors - Avoidance of predators - Mating habits and strategies

Educational Influences

Education may consist of two things : - Quantity (amount of education one receives) - Quality (type of education one receives) Teachers, materials, and distractions influence our learning environment and the quality of education we're exposed to - The amount and type of education can influence our behavior and level of intelligence or ability

Family Influences

- Nutrition - Traditions - Morals/beliefs - Religion Nurture continues outside of the womb. Many of our behaviors are from these influences.

Media Influences

Access to information through the internet, print, and audio sources, motion and pictures, radio and television, and electronic games can affect our social skills. - The media can also affect our study habits (Many people study with a laptop at home or in a cafe rather than in the library)

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

All living things are made up of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) - Complex molecule that contains the genetic information that makes up chromosomes. - Made up of four chemical bases Adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine About 99.9 of our DNA is shared. So we're close to identical twins with everyone else on earth, but that 0.1% and our environment makes us vastly different people.

Alleles

Alleles are the different forms of a gene that are responsible for hereditary variation. Dominant - Gene is expressed each time it is present Recessive - Gene is expressed only when paired with another recessive gene

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) 2

Bases arrange themselves into pairs. - Thousands of different possible combinations in each gene - Arrangements of the bases is called the genetic code - Everyone's genetic code is unique, asides from identical twins

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin - British naturalist - On the Origin of Species - Theory of natural selection Inherited traits are more likely to be passed on to future generations if they increase the odds to reproducing and surviving. So according to the theory, the process of natural selection is gradual and can't be seen directly, rather it occurs over many generations and results in an increase in a species' ability to survive.

Chromosomes

Chromosomes are passed from parents to children. - Threadlike strands of DNA molecules that contain genetic information - Humans have 46 (half from each parent) - Arranged in pairs (one pair is made up of the sex chromosomes) So chromosomes are like a genetic blueprint. They influence how you look and act.

Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology - Field that studies human development throughout the lifespan Focus of field - Studies how heredity and environment influence human development and how it changes throughout the lifespan A developmental psychologist would be interested in studying something like how babies learn to crawl or walk or they might study the psychological changes that adolescents go through during puberty.

Dominant and Recessive Traits

Dominant - Cleft chin - Widow's peak - Free earlobes - Dimples Recessive - No cleft chin - No widow's peak - Attached earlobes - No dimples Just because a gene is dominant doesn't mean that it's common, however. The gene for six fingers is dominant and the gene for five fingers is recessive.

Genes

Each chromosome has thousands of DNA segments, called genes. Genes - A segment of DNA coded for specific heredity traits - Located inside a chromosome - Serve as a biochemical unit of heredity - Operate in pairs So a pair of genes can affect a particular process or a personality characteristic.

Fitness and Adaptation 2

Eating habits - As agriculture shifts, so does our eating - Fresh foods to processed foods Avoidance of predators - Learned behavior in order to increase the life of a species (escaping from danger) Mating habits - Successful mating guarantees continuance of a species Those who can reproduce the most increase the chances to continue on their genes to the next generation.

Genes and Behavior

Genes may influence one to behave in certain ways. - Cheerfully - Aggressively - Irrationally Other behavioral traits influenced by genes - Right-and-left-handedness - Stuttering There's no single gene responsible for one's behavior and temperament. Rather, it's an interaction of one's genes and one's environment that influence how one thinks, acts, and feels.

Phenotype and Genotype

Genotype - Genetic makeup - All possible combinations of alleles Phenotype - Physical expression of the trait

Example of Punnet Square

Genotype - XX or XY Phenotype - XX = girl - XY = boy

Health Influences 2

Health conditions - Access to health and nutritional services - They can influence one's eating and exercise habits - Living conditions can determine our access to various services such as health clinics and food banks

Health Influences

Health conditions - Second-and-third-hand smoke - Pollution (physical, psychological, learning, and behavioral disorders)

Working Together

Heredity - Like a plant that comes from a seed Environment - Soil, food, water, and sun that nurtures plant - If we have two identical seeds that are planted in different parts, one is nourished with water, sunlight, and healthy soil while the other is watered infrequently and has no sunlight. - The one that was nourished and watered frequently will be healthy, while the other will not. - Even though the seeds are identical, the environment causes a difference in their growth.

Prenatal Influences

Nurture begins in the womb. - A healthy diet during pregnancy is needed for healthy children. - Stress can increase the likelihood of a miscarriage, early delivery, and a temperamental state of the baby. - Viruses and disease can affect the development of the fetus. - Drugs and alcohol can complicate the development of a fetus as well.

Environmental Influences

Influences on development - Prenatal care - Family - Living conditions - Peers - Health - Education - Media

Example of Historical View 2

John B. Watson (Nurture) - Founder of behaviorism - Believed that behavior and intelligence were almost exclusively influenced by one's environment

Examples of Nurture Theorists

John B. Watson (classical conditioning) - "Little Albert" B.F. Skinner (operant conditioning) - Skinner box

Nurture

Nurture refers to the environment. - The social and physical conditions that affect a person's life Environmental factors - Physical environment (pollution, nutrition, or living conditions) - Social environment (school you attend, the friendships you have, or peer pressure)

Characteristics Influences by Nature

Most researchers agree that heredity influences your eye color, hair color, and skin tone.

Heredity

Most researchers agree that human behavior is a combination of nature and nurture. Heredity - Genetic makeup passed on from parents to offspring - Influences physical characteristics - Can affect behavior

Current View on Debate

Most theorists agree that human behavior is a combination of both nature and nurture, although this is still debated. - Although heredity lays down the foundation of who we are, our environment helps to build who we become and whether or not we reach our full potential.

Nature vs. Nurture Debate

Nature (genetic makeup) Nurture (the environment)

Nature

Nature refers to heredity. - The transmission of genetic traits from parents to their offspring. - Predisposes one to certain physical attributes and behavior - Makes an individual unique Heredity gives an individual characteristics inherited at conception and carried throughout their life.

Peer Influences

Peers help one learn : - Intimacy - Communication - Cooperation Peer pressure is pressure from one's peers to act and do the same things as people of one's age and social group in order to be liked and accepted - For example, our friends can influence us in our behaviors, our likes and dislikes, and the music we listen to, as well as our social habits

Polygenic Traits

The majority of human traits are polygenic. - Combination of genes Height Eye color Skin tone - Environmental factors can affect how a trait is expressed. Genetic factors increase the likelihood that certain behavior, abilities, or personality traits emerge, but whether or not they do depends on environment.