Psychology: Nature vs Nurture

Strengths and Weaknesses part (2)

Studies like Gottesman and Shields depend on DNA analysis which is very reliable. However these findings cannot predict the onset of schizophrenia, only a predisposition for the disease. It is thought therefore that the genes must interact with the environment for the disease to be turned on.

The Ontogenic Approach

>Ontogeny is the process by which an individual changes and develops throughout their life span. >This approach looks at how genetic factors mix with environmental influences. Research has shown that at different ages and stages of development the environment has a larger or smaller effect on our genes.

Ontogenic Explanations

>A problem with ontogeny theory is that we do not yet have reliable evidence to actually show the influence of the environment on genes. >However it does seem the logical explanation as we know that only one explanation.

Strengths and Weaknesses

>Bandura demonstrated under controlled laboratory conditions that aggression in children can be role modelled. However this research lacks ecological validity and does not account for individual differences.

Evidence to support Nurture

Bandura et al Chaney et al

Evidence to support Nature

Dr Thomas Bouchard of the Minnesota Centre for Twin Adoption Research concluded that genetic factors play a huge part in human behaviour. The study focused on identical twins who had been raised apart from each other.

Links with the free will/ determinism debate

If our behaviour is largely controlled by genetic influences there is very little we can do about it and we have relatively few choices in life (so it's determinist).

Links with the Individual/ Situational debate

Individual explanations can be compared with a nature approach (it's your inherited personality) whereas situational explanations may be associated with nurture (the environment you are in influences your behaviour, including the people around you).

Common methods of collecting data:

Infant studies Twin and family studies Adopted and fostered children Gene mapping studies

Nature

People behave the way they do because they are animals who act in accordance with their animal instincts and are determined by their biology.

Nurture

People behave the way they do because they are determined by the things other people teach them, the things they observe around them, and because of the different situations they are put in.