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Description
Flashcards by Alex Willetts-Hatol, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Alex Willetts-Hatol
over 6 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| Nature | Descartes argues that human characteristics are innate, the result of heredity. Locke argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth and everything we do is the result of the environment. Heritability coefficient is used to assess heredity. Numerical figure between 0&1. General figure of heritability in IQ is 0.5 across multiple studies in varying populations (Plomin) this suggests that genetics and environment are important factors in intelligence. |
| Nurture | The concept of nurture and environmental influences in psychology requires further clarification as the environment is such a broad concept. Lerner has identified levels of different levels of the environment. These may be defined as pre-natal terms or post-natal experiences. |
| The interactionist approach | The idea that nature and nurture are linked but makes sense they can’t be separated. Instead they see how they interact and influence each other. |
| Diathesis-stress model | They empathise the interaction of nature and nurture. Models of mental illness tend to be most persuasive. Psychopathology is caused by a bio/genetic vulnerability (diathesis) which is expressed when coupled with a trigger (the stressor) |
| Epigeneticsl | Change in our genetic activity without changing our genetic code and is caused by interaction with the environment. Events we encounter like smoking and diet leave epigenetic marks on our DNA. These marks tell our bodies which genes to ignore and which to use. |
| Implications of nativism and empiricism | Nativists suggest our inherited genetic make up determines our characteristics and behaviour. This extreme determinist stance has led to controversy involving race, genetics and intelligence. However empiricist would suggest that behaviour can be changed by altering environmental conditions. Behaviour shaping has had practical application in therapy. Desirable behaviours are reinforced and undesirable behaviours are punished or ignored. |
| Shared and unshared environments | Dunn and Plomin first introduced the idea of shared and unshared environments suggesting that individual differences mean that siblings may experience life events differently. Eg difference in age would mean that a life event like divorce would have different meaning to each sibling. This would explain the finding that even MZ twins do not show perfect concordance rates which support the view that heredity and the environment can not be meaningfully separated. |
| Constructivism | The notion that genes and environment interact is elaborated by constructivism. People create their own nurture by selecting environments that are appropriate for their nature. Eg. A naturally aggressive child is likely to feel more comfy around children who show similar behaviour and will choose their environment accordingly. This environment then affects their development. Plomin refers to this as niche-picking and niche-building. Further evidence that it is impossible to separate nature and nurture influences on the child’s behaviour. |
| Genotype-environment interaction | Scarr and McCartney have put forward a theory of gene-environment interaction that includes 3types: Passive interaction- the parents genes influence the way they treat their children. Evocative interaction- the child’s genes influence and shape the environment in which the grow up. Active interaction- the child creates its own environment through the people and experiences it selects This points to a complex relationship between nature and nurture. |
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