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Nature nurture powerpoint
- 1. Debate: Nature and Nurture The degree to which human behaviour is determined by genetics/biology (nature) or learned through interacting with the environment (nurture)
- 2. Aims of lesson To understand what is meant by the nature-nurture debate and to identify the main assumptions . To be able to describe at least 1 study which supports nature, and 1 study to support nurture. To be able to identify the applications and problems associated with the debate. To be able to identify the perspectives/ approaches relevant to the debate. To be able to evaluate the debate.
- 3. Nature Behaviour is caused by innate characteristics : The physiological/biological characteristics we are born with. Behaviour is therefore determined by biology. Determinist view- suggests all behaviour is determined by hereditary factors: Inherited characteristics, or genetic make-up we are born with.
- 4. Nature All possible behaviours are said to be present from conception. Genes provide the blueprint for all behaviours; some present from birth, others pre-programmed to emerge with age. Is a developmental approach: E.g. Piaget: children’s thought processes change at predetermined age-related stages changes in age are related to changes in behaviour.
- 5. Nurture An individuals behaviour is determined by the environment- the things people teach them, the things they observe, and because of the different situations they are in. Also a determinist view- proposes all human behaviour is the result of interactions with the environment.
- 6. Behaviourist theories are nurture theories: - Behaviour is shaped by interactions with the environment. Born an empty vessel- waiting to be filled up by experiences gained from environmental interaction. No limit to what they can achieve: -Depends on quality of external influences and NOT genes. The quality of the environment is KEY: -You can become anything provided the environment is right.
- 7. Support for Nature Piaget- children’s thought processes change at predetermined age-related stages. Changes in age are related to changes in behaviour: - Sensorimotor (birth – 2 years) - Pre-operational (approx 2 – 7) - Operational (approx 7 – 11) - Formal operational (approx 11+ years)
- 8. Support for Nature Language Acquisition (Chomsky, 1968) - Chomsky maintained language is the result of innate cognitive structures in the mind. - Biologically based inborn brain mechanism -Children are predisposed to make sounds and understand grammar. - This does not happen from birth but language skills develop rapidly after a certain period of time Language acquisition follows the same sequence in all children= an inbuilt genetic mechanism is responsible.
- 9. Identical genes exist in Identical Twins- Monozygotic (MZ) twins share 100% of their genes. Fraternal Twins- Dyzygotic Twins (DZ), share 50% of their genes. Genetic effects can therefore be shown when the correlations within each group is compared with the correlations between each group. This can be added to the correlations found with other relatives. Parents share 50% of genes, cousins share 12.5%.
- 10. Support for Nature Genetic basis of Schizophrenia (Gottesman & Shields, 1976) - A review of twin and adoption studies into schizophrenia between 1967 and 1976. - In adoption studies: compared biological parents and siblings and adoptive parents and siblings. - In twin studies: compared concordance rates (how often both twins were diagnosed with schizophrenia) for monozygotic (identical) and dyzygotic (non-identical) twins. Video
- 11. Results Support for Nature - Adoption studies found increased incidence of schizophrenia in adopted children with a schizophrenic biological parent. - ‘Normal’ children fostered to a schizophrenic parent and adoptive parents of schizophrenic children showed little evidence of schizophrenia. - Twin studies found higher concordance rate for schizophrenia in MZ twins (58%) than DZ twins (12%). Conclusion Significant genetic input into the onset of schizophrenia. Genes responsible for predisposing a person to schizophrenia.
- 12. IQ scores Support for Nature -Plomin (1988) studied MZ and DZ twins reared together and apart and found that I.Q. has an overall heritability of 0.68- genetics are responsible for about 68% of the variation in I.Q. -MZ twins reared apart have I.Q. scores which correlate at about 0.74, or 74%. Evaluation point However, variations between identical twins must be due to environmental influences.
- 13. Support for Nurture – Little Albert Classical conditioning of fear- phobia acquisition: ‘little Albert’ (Watson & Raynor, 1920) -Before the study little Albert showed no sign of fear response in any situation. Session 1: Aged 11 months, Albert was presented with a rat. Each time he reached for the rat a steel bar was hit. 1st time= he jumped + fell forward 2nd time= he began to whimper Session 2: after 5 paired presentations, Albert reacted to the rat alone by immediately crying, turning, and crawling away quickly.
- 14. Support for Nurture Session 3: Albert returned to see if the fear had transferred. - Presentation of toy blocks (neutral stimulus) = playing - Presentation of the rat followed by a rabbit, dog, fur-coat, Watson’s hair and a Santa Claus = –ve responses of crying, moving away from stimulus and crawling. Session 4: steel bar + rat, steel bar+ rabbit, steel bar+ dog. Fear response was pronounced in all. Session 5: 1 month later Albert continued to show fear reactions to all stimuli. Transference of the fear had been made to similar objects.
- 15. Support for Nurture Conclusion - By session 2, after 5 paired presentations the conditioning of fear was evident: is possible to condition fear through classical conditioning. - By sessions 3 & 4, transference of the fear had been made to similar objects. - By session 5, time had not removed the fear response. Provides evidence that the environment can be manipulated to create a phobic response & behavioural change. (See key study: A2 OCR textbook p.115)
- 16. Support for Nurture- Zimbardo Zimbardo (1973) Stanford Prison Experiment - 24 participants, described as “normal, healthy male college students, predominantly middle class and white”. - Randomly assigned to the role of ‘prisoner’ or ‘guard’ . - A simulated prison was built in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford University. It comprised of 3 small cells each housing 3 men ,and 1 small unlit room for solitary confinement. Video
- 17. Support for Nurture Guards not told how to behave but were explicitly told that they were not allowed to use physical punishment or physical aggression. Uniforms of both groups were intended to increase group identity and reduce individuality. Guards’ uniforms were intended to convey a military attitude, with a baton and whistle for symbols of control and power.
- 18. Support for Nurture The behaviour of the ‘normal’ students was affected by the assigned role- seemed to believe in their allocated position. Guards became verbally and physically aggressive. Prisoners became increasingly depersonalised-several experienced extreme depression, crying, rage and acute anxiety. The experiment had to be stopped after just six days instead of the planned 14 days. The study demonstrates the powerful effect roles can have on peoples’ behaviour.
- 19. Can you think of any other studies that show the effect a situation can have on behaviour?
- 20. Nature Nurture Interaction Behaviour is often a result of the interaction between nature AND nurture. An individuals characteristics may elicit particular responses in other people e.g. Temprament: how active, responsive or emotional an infant is influences in part determines their caregivers responses. Gender: people tend to react differently to boys and girls due to expectations of masculine and feminine characteristics. Aggression: Displaying aggressive behaviour create particular responses from other people.
- 21. Nature Nurture Interaction Evidence Rutter and Rutter (1993) Aggression hostility - Described how aggressive children think and behave in ways that lead other children to respond to them in a hostile manner. -This then reinforces the antisocial child’s view of the world. Thus, aggressive children tend to experience aggressive environments partly because they elicit aggressive responses.
- 22. Nature Nurture Interaction Maguire et al. (2000)- Taxi driver study - Structural MRI scans of the brains of licensed London taxi drivers were compared with controls who did not drive taxis. - Hippocampal volume correlated with the amount of time spent as a taxi driver - The posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger relative to those of control subjects. - The posterior hippocampus stores a spatial representation of the environment and can expand regionally in people with a high dependence on navigational skills. See AS Psychology textbook: pp.68
- 23. Nature Nurture Interaction Maguire et al. Conclusion - It appears the brain has the capacity for plasticity (the ability to change)- the structure of the brain can alter in response to environmental demands.
- 24. Supporting Approaches & Perspectives Supporting NATURE Supporting NURTURE Physiological Social (e.g. Helping behaviour) Individual Differences Behavioural Developmental Psychodynamic
- 25. Problems with Nature-Nurture Debate 1. It is reductionist 2. It is deterministic 3. It is difficult to control variables Determinism: The ‘nature’ view of psychology is a determinist one- it suggests behaviour is determined by hereditary factors (e.g. Language development).
- 26. Applications Nature Drug therapies can be developed to treat behavioural or psychological problems that have a physiological origin. E.g. SSRI’s can be used to treat depression, Ritalin- ADHD. Nurture If behaviour is susceptible to environmental influences we need to consider how we adapt our environment. E.g. To promote helping behaviour, enhance learning, reduce aggression and decrease criminality.
- 27. Summary Nature: behaviour is caused by characteristics we are born with e.g. genetic, physiological. Nurture: behaviour is shaped through interactions with the environment. Research supporting nature: language development, IQ scores, predisposition to schizophrenia etc. Research supporting nurture: fear acquisition, effect of the environment on behaviour.
- 28. Summary cont... Nature-nurture interaction: Temperament and gender can influence other peoples behaviour. Exposure to certain environmental stimuli can alter physiology e.g. Brain structure, neurochemicals. Applications: Development of drug therapies, adapt environments to increase helping behaviour, enhance learning etc.
Notas del editor
- The nature side of the debate suggests behaviour is cause by characteristics we are born with- the innate characterisitcs, which are usually physiological or biological. People behave the way they do because they are animals who act in accordance with their animal instincts (innate characteristics) and are determined by their biology. These characteristics are inherited from our ancestors, and form our genetic makeup
- The nature argument suggests that our genes pre-programmed all our behaviours. All possible behaviours are present from conception however whilst some are expressed from birth others are pre-programmed to emerge as we mature. The nature side of the debate is therefore a developmental approach, behaviour change is caused by age and maturation.
- On the other hand, the nature side of the debate suggests that people behave the way they do because they are determined by the things other people teach them, the things they observe, and because of the different situations they are in. Like the nature side, the nurture side is also a determinist view as it proposes all human behaviour is the result of interactions with the environment.
- Developmental approach example
- Twin and adoption studies are used to show how much of a behaviour or trait is due to genetics or due to the environment. Identical twins have identical twins- this means they share 100% of their genes, where as non-identical fraternal twins share only half of their genes- 50%. Genetic effects can therefore be shown when the correlations within each group is compared with the correlations between each group. This can be added to the correlations found with other relatives as parents share 50% of their genes, siblings share 25%, and cousins share 12.5%. Adoptive children are included in analysis to help separate the effects of growing up in shared environments. Adopted children’s similarity to their biological parents reflects genetic similarity and eliminates environmental factors. Adopted children with adopted parent similarity reflects environmental similarity and eliminates genetic similarity. Variations between identical twins must be the consequences of the shared environmental influences.
- In order to determine whether schizophrenia, a serious mental illness has a genetic link, Gottesman and shields carried out a compreshensive review of twin and adoption studies. The concordance rates – how often both twins were diagnosed with schizophrenia was compared for monozygotic- identical, and dyzgotic- non-identical twins. In adoption studies, biological parents and siblings and adoptive parents and siblings were compared to separate out the contribution of genetics and environment on the development of the disorder.
- All adoption studies found an increased incidence of schizophrenia in adopted children with a schizophrenic biological parent, whereas normal children fostered to schizophrenic parents and adoptive parents of schizophrenic children showed little evidence of schizophrenia. Twin studies found a higher concordance rate for schizophrenia in monozygotic- or identical twins, than dyzygotic- or non-identical twins. Significantly there was a concordance rate of 58% in monozygotic twins which means that if one twin had schizophrenia there was a 58% chance the other would have it, compared against a 12% chance in non-identical dyzgotic twins. Both these comparisons indicate that there is a significant genetic input into the onset of schizophrenia, but with concordance rates less than 100% there must be some interaction with the environment. Certain genes appear to predispose a person to schizophrenia.
- Twin studies have also been used to show the heritability of IQ. Plomin found that when the IQ scores of identical and non-identical twins living both together or apart were studied the overall heritability of IQ was about 0.68, or another way, 68% of IQ was due to genetic influences. When only identical twins who were raised apart were studied the correlation increased to 0.74, meaning twins who share 100% of their DNA but grow up in different environments still have IQ scores that are 74% similar- the genetic influence is greater than the environmental influence. Whilst genetics seem to be the biggest influence on IQ the environment must also have an influence, in identical twins 26% of the difference in scores must be due to environmental factors
- On the side of nurture, it is argued that behaviour can be a result of exposure to certain situations and environments. A case study on one child ‘Little Albert’, under controlled laboratory conditions was carried out to see if it is possible to induce a fear of a previously unfeared object through classical conditioning. Before the experiment little albert showed no fear response to any objects including a white rat. In the first session, when aged 11 months, little albert was presented with a rat, but each time he reached for it a steel bar was hit. The 1st time this happened he jumped and fell forward, the 2nd time he began to cry. In session 2, after 5 rat-bar presentations, Albert reacted to the rat alone by immediately crying, leaning and crawling away quickly.
- In session 3 Albert was tested to see if the fear had been transferred to other previously unfeared, but similar looking objects. When give toy blocks Albert played happily, however when the rat was presented and was immediately followed by either a rabbit, a dog, a fur-coat, Watson’s hair, or a santa clause beard Albert showed negative responses of crying and moving away from the stimulus. Session 4 tool this future, and presented the new similar stimuli paired with the steel bar, as originally done with the rat. Albert showed a definite pronounced fear response to all. One month later Albert was brought back to see if the fear response had subsided, but albert continued to show fear reactions to all similar stimuli. Transference of the fear had been made to similar objects. Albert unfortunately was never returned to be desensitised to the objects!
- The behaviour of the apparenly normal students was affected the roles they were assigned to, they appeared to believe in and take on their newly allocated positions. The guards became more and more verbally and physically aggressive towards the prisoners, whilst the prisoners became increasingly depersonalised and deindividuated- several showed signs of extreme depression, with crying, rage and acute anxiety. Because of the extreme, unanticipated reactions, the experiment had to be cut short after only 6 days, instead of the planned 14 days.
- Milgram? Bandura- Bobo? Pilliavin- helping behaviour?
- It is more often accepted that behaviour is a result of the interaction between nature and nurture, or biology and the environment. One view is that people may construct or contribute to their own environments. For example, an individual’s characteristics (which may be innate) such as temperament, gender, or level of aggression, may ellicit particular responses from other people, which may in turn influence the individual’s behaviour. Others take a view which states that an individuals genes are seen as setting upper and lower limits for their potential behaviour. Where within these limits an individual’s behaviour falls may be determined by the environment.
- Rutter and Rutter thought that it was too simplistic to just say that children are either born aggressive or learn aggression, and instead suggested that children pay exhibit aggressive characteristics which in turn causes people around them to respond in a hostile or aggressive manner. This aggressive response then acts to reinforce the child’s aggressive behaviour, beliefs and tendencies. They suggest that aggressive children tend to experience aggressive environments partly because they elicit aggressive responses in others.
- Whilst some behaviours can be traced to physiology research does indicate that the environment can create brain changes. Research by Maguire et al. Found that the structure of the hippocampus in the brains of taxi drivers change as a result of their environment- which suggests than an interaction between nature and nurture affects brain structure.
- The physiological approach focuses on biological influences on behaviour, so is therefore influenced by nature. Much social research takes the Nurture side of the debate: showing that behaviour is influenced by the social environment. Research by Piliavin et al. Demonstrated that it was not the nature of the passengers that influenced whether they helped, but the situation of the victim that motivated helping behaviour.
- A key application of the nature debate is the development of drug thereapies to target and treat behavioural and psychological problems that have a physiological origin. For example, SSRI’s can be used to treat depression and anxiety disorders, whilst Ritalin can be used to help ADHD. You can use the AS and A2 textbooks to find studies and examples to support and expand on the applications of the nature-nurture debate. The studies can also be used to reinforce important evaluative points, for example- with learning, both nature and nurture offer practical applications to understanding. Whilst developmentalists such as Piaget suggest that a childs development happens at predetermined age-related stages, behaviourists such as Skinner disagree and instead propose that children learn through imitation and reinforcement. Therefore, to best understand and help facilitate child development it would be important to understand what they are capable of at certain stages of development, but how best to help them reach their maximum potential.