PSYCH- issues and debates, free will vs determinism & nature vs nurture

What is the diathesis-stress model

A psychological theory which attempts to explain behaviour as a predispositional vulnerability together with stress from life experiences (triggers)

Example of influences that can affect social and physical development (nurture)

Alcohol in pre-natal environment can affect a child's physical brain function

What is hard determinism

All human behaviour has a cause, should be possible to identify and describe these causes as is compatible with the aims of science (Biological, behaviourist)

What is biological determinism

Belief that behaviour is the result of biological drives that are functioning internally eg our genetics, hormones, brain structure shape us

What is environmental determinism

Belief that our 'choice' is merely an illusion- the sum of conditioning and reinforcement that has been present throughout our lives Often reciprocal

What is psychic determinism

Belief that there is no such thing as an accident- behaviour is driven by instinct and unconscious conflicts repressed in childhood

What is the 'nature' position

Refers to what is thought of typically as inheritance- this denotes genetic material transmitted from generation to generation Refers to genetically produced differences among individuals within the (human) species

Nature vs nurture AO3- negative societal implications

Both extreme nativism and empiricism have negative societal implications Eg nativist 'anatomy is destiny', extreme determinist position, led to attempts to link race/genetics/intelligence, and eugenics Empiricist concept 'behaviour shaping' through altering environmental conditions, could control and manipulate society Controversial in extreme forms, ideas of prejudice and genetic 'superiority, into society Both dangerous in isolation, b2b interactionist

What is the interactionist approach

Combining 2 or more approaches together, in order to gain a fuller understanding or accept that one influences the other

What goes up as genetic share increases

Concordance rate

Example of epigenetics

Dias and Ressler (2014)- mice conditioned to fear the smell of a perfume chemical through pairing it repeatedly with an electric shock produced children and even grandchildren that also feared the smell, despite never being exposed to it before or receiving any shocks

Nature vs nurture AO3- difficult to distinguish environment

Difficult to distinguish effect of environment in research suggests both should be considered together eg Dunn and Plomin (1990)- shared and unshared environments, individual differences mean siblings experience events differently eg age gives meaning to divorce Even siblings raised together may not experience same upbringing, explains why even MZ twins don't have perfect concordance Heredity and environment can't be meaningfully separated, nature-nurture debate not useful

What is the 'nurture' position

Environment consists of all the influences or potential sources of influence, that lie outside the person's body eg other people, social interaction, physical circumstance, culture etc Varied influence consisting of any non-genetic factor Influences can affect social and physical development

The case for free will- face validity

Face validity (makes cognitive sense)- every day experience seems to show the concept of choice

Example of the interactionist approach

SLT is a combination of cognitive and behavioural approach, heredity and environment interact

Nature vs nurture AO3- constructivism

Genetic and environmental interaction elaborated by constructivism Plomin (1994)- niche-picking and niche-building, people create their own 'nurture' by actively selecting environments appropriate for their 'nature' eg naturally aggressive child likely to feel comfortable around similar children and thus 'choose' their environment accordingly, which affects their development and shows how the two impact each other reciprocally Further evidence it is impossible and illogical to try and separate nature and nurture influences on child's behaviour

Nature vs nurture AO3- genotype-environment interaction supported by theories

Genotype-environment interaction supported by many theories eg Scarr and McCartney- gene-environment interaction as passive/evocative/active, passive meaning parents' genes influence the way they treat their children Suggests parent's 'nature' affects child's 'nurture' and in turn development eg musical parent encourages child's engagement in music Nature-nurture relationship complex and multi-layered, not just one or the other having effect

The case for determinism- science

Maintains consistency with the aims of science- places human behaviour on equal footing with other more established sciences that believe in order and laws

The case against free will- mental health issues

Mental health issues are surely not issues a person would choose to have

What is the heritability coefficient

Numerical figure ranging from 0-1, indicates extent to which a characteristic has a genetic basis 1= entirely genetically determined, 0.5= both, 0=nurture

Which 2 environments are both important in development

Pre-natal and post-natal

The case for determinism- successful treatments

Prediction of human behaviour has led to many successful treatments, interventions and therapies that have benefited many eg drug treatment for schizophrenia

The case against free will- brain activity may predate our knowledge of it

Soon et al (2008)- brain activity that determines the outcome of a simple choice may predate our knowledge of having made such a choice Basic experiences of free will are determined before we become aware of them

What is free will

The belief that we have some choice in how we act and are free to choose our behaviour Doesn't deny that biological and environmental forces can influence our behaviour, but implies we are able to reject such forces as ultimately being in control of our destiny

What is used to assess heredity

The heritability coefficient

What is epigenetics?

The study of heritable changes in gene expression that does not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence (a change in phenotype without a change in genotype), which in turn affects how cells read the genes

Why is the nature-nurture debate impossible to truly answer

The two are so closely intertwined that practically and theoretically it makes little sense to separate them but rather consider them together

What is determinism

The view that all behaviour is caused by preceding factors which therefore makes behaviour predictable- factors may be internal or external Causal laws determinism abides by form the basic principles of science Free will has no place in explaining behaviour

Example of diathesis-stress model

Tienari et al (2004)- adoptees were most likely to develop schizophrenia if they had biological relatives with a history of the disorder (vulnerability), and had relationships with their adoptive families that were 'dysfunctional' (trigger)

What are twins used for in nature-nurture studies

To ascertain the proportion of genetics vs environment in the development of a behaviour

The case against determinism- unfalsifiable

Unfalsifiable- impossible to prove that causes of behaviour will always exist Saying a cause has 'not been found yet' is impossible to prove wrong

What are concordance rates

Used to look at traits, characteristics, disorders that an individual is likely to get given that another already has it

The case for free will- positive impact on mind and behaviour

Whether it exists or not, believing we have free will has a positive impact on mind and behaviour- individuals with an internal LOC tend to be mentally healthier than those with an external LOC, plus Roberts et al (2000) found adolescents with a strong belief in fatalism were at significantly greater risk of developing depression

What is soft determinism

While acknowledging that all human behaviour has a cause, there is room for manouvere in that people have conscious mental control (SLT, cognitive)

What did early nativists argue

eg Descartes, human characteristics are innate

What did early empiricists argue

eg Locke, the mind is a blank slate at birth that learning and experience write