DO NOW: Answer the exam question on
your desk!
• June 2010
• Jamie is a healthy 18-year-old of average intelligence. When
he was six days old, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic
disorder. His parents were informed that, as a result of the
disorder, Jamie would have severe learning difficulties unless
he was kept on a special diet. His parents followed this advice
and Jamie has not suffered any damage to his intelligence or
to his learning abilities.
• In the context of the nature-nurture debate in psychology,
outline what is meant by an interactionist approach. Refer to
Jamie’s case in your answer. (4 marks)
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You will need your short-answer ‘understanding’ homework questions ready for today’s lesson
Learning Objective: to apply knowledge of the
nature nurture debate to an essay question
ALL will apply knowledge of the nature-nurture
debate to a past examination question
MOST will review performance on
comprehension questions on the debate, and
assess where to focus their revision
SOME will synthesise information about the
debate in order to form a detailed essay plan
DO NOW How did you do? Self
Assessment
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AO1 One mark for a clear and coherent outline of the meaning of ‘interactionist
approach’. Behaviour due to combined influences of nature and nurture.
One mark for elaboration eg what is meant by nature/what is meant by nurture or
reference to phenotype/genotype distinction.
AO2 Up to two marks for application to Jamie. Two marks for detailed application.
One mark for incomplete or vague answers.
Answers along the lines of:
Jamie has inherited a genetic disorder (nature). However whether or not the
effects of this condition are expressed depend on the environment (nurture). It is
not possible to separate nature and nurture.
Or
Had Jamie’s parents not followed the doctors’ advice then it would not be possible
to say that genetic factors caused low intelligence. Neither could it be claimed that
the environment caused the low intelligence. It is not possible to separate nature
and nuture.
PEER MARKING This week’s homework: short answer
questions (use the title: Debates short answer
understanding questions (homework)
1. Distinguish between hard and soft determinism
2. Outline 2 problems of ‘free will’ in psychology
3. Explain why determinism is compatible with the scientific
approach. Use an example of a psychological approach to
illustrate your answer.
4. Give one reason why the nature-nurture debate in
psychology does not ask which of the two, heredity or the
environment is responsible for behaviour
5. What is meant by the ‘unshared environment’ explain
why this is an important concept in the nature-nurture
debate
6. Briefly compare two approaches in the context of the
nature-nurture debate
1. Distinguish between hard and soft
determinism
• Hard determinism is the view that free will is
an illusion and that behaviour is totally
predictable and determined.
• Soft determinism is the view that each of us
acts consistently within our own character
• The essential difference is that soft
determinism brings an element of free will or
that soft determinism is not freedom from
cause but it is freedom from coercion.
2. Outline 2 problems of ‘free will’ in psychology
• The most likely problems are:
■ inconsistent with the assumptions of science and its implications
■ no agreed definition and implications for psychology as a science
■ the problem of testing free will and implications for psychology as a
science.
• Less likely answers but acceptable are:
■ Free will cannot be seen as the opposite of determinism as that
would imply that behaviour is random and unpredictable.
■ Denying the existence of free will is problematic; people believe that
they have free will.
■ Psychological reactance suggests that people believe that they have
free will no matter what the problem may be for scientific psychology;
the ‘fear of freedom’ (Fromm).
3. Explain why determinism is compatible with the scientific
approach. Use an example of a psychological approach to
illustrate your answer.
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Key features of the scientific approach are causal links, prediction and control of behaviour.
Because determinism assumes that every physical event is caused then since human
behaviour is a physical event it follows that it too is caused by preceding factors. Therefore,
future events can be predicted.
This logic formed the basis of Skinner’s behaviourism. He studied the behaviour of animals
such as rats and pigeons in laboratory conditions and found that by manipulating the
consequences of behaviour there was a cause-and-effect link between stimulus and
response. The stimulus caused a response under certain conditions. The behaviour of rats
and pigeons could then be predicted from the animals’ past behaviour and the consequences
of that behaviour. Skinner firmly believed that free will is an illusion and that behaviour is
environmentally determined.
If behaviour can be predicted then it can also be controlled. Skinner demonstrated this by
varying the reinforcement schedules. For example, if reinforcement was given at varying
intervals then the lever pressing increased in intensity. This has had implications for human
behaviour. The token economy system is used with psychiatric patients to control aspects of
their behaviour (e.g. social behaviour and personal hygiene). Positive reinforcements follow
the desired behaviour continuously in the initial stages so that the behaviour is ‘stamped in’.
Once this response is established then (in theory at least) the reinforcement can be given at
varying intervals to maintain the behaviour. This control could only be achieved within the
framework of scientific psychology.
4. Give one reason why the nature-nurture debate in psychology does not ask
which of the two, heredity or the environment is responsible for behaviour
• It is now recognised that both nature and nurture
interact so thoroughly that it is impossible to separate
the two.
• For example…if a child is inherently aggressive it will
behave in a way that may provoke aggressive
responses from the parents or others. Thus the child is
creating its own unique aggressive micro-environment,
which will encourage aggressive behaviour in the child.
The aggressive child may seek out activities and friends
that promote further aggression. Both genes and the
environment are involved in behaviour.
• Other examples?
5. What is meant by the ‘unshared environment’ explain why
this is an important concept in the nature-nurture debate
• The unshared environment is an aspect of the shared environment
that differs between two (or more) people.
• It cannot be assumed that two children brought up in the same
home have a fully shared environment because some of their
experiences will be different (perhaps as a result of their innate
characteristics). They may have different teachers or friends but,
more importantly, parents may treat them differently.
• The concept of unshared environment is very important in the
nature– nurture debate; according to the constructionist view, one
of the causes of the ‘unshared environment’ is that people create
their own experiences and actively select their own environments
in line with their own natures. This is further support for the
interaction between nature and nurture.
6. Briefly compare two approaches in the context of the
nature-nurture debate
• The behaviourist approach adopts an extreme viewpoint – the role of the
environment is of paramount importance.
• Behaviour is seen as being directly shaped and controlled through
associative learning and the consequences of behaviour. Unlike other
approaches, which recognise a degree of interaction between heredity
and environment, the behaviourists’ commitment to the nurture extreme
of the nature–nurture dimension is total. The behaviourist Watson is
known for his pronouncement that if he were to be given a dozen healthy
children he could guarantee to produce whatever ‘specialist’ might be
required.
• The biological approach is interactionist although the focus of the
approach is on heredity. Even a seemingly ‘innate’ behaviour such as the
perception of horizontal and vertical lines requires environmental input
(Blakemore and Cooper, 1970). The effects of the inherited disorder PKU
can be ameliorated by environmental factors.
Learning Objective: to apply knowledge of the
nature nurture debate to an essay question
ALL will apply knowledge of the nature-nurture
debate to a past examination question
MOST will review performance on
comprehension questions on the debate, and
assess where to focus their revision
SOME will synthesise information about the
debate in order to form a detailed essay plan
HOMEWORK: June 2008 Past Paper
Question
• (c) ‘The debate about the roles of nature and
nurture in behaviour is fundamental in
psychology and touches on several different
topic areas.’
• Discuss the nature-nurture debate in
psychology. Refer to at least one topic you
have studied to illustrate your answer. (12
marks)
• DUE ONE WEEK TODAY
Planning the essay…
• You will work in small groups to form a detailed plan
for the nature-nurture essay
1. You will need your GENERIC debates success sheet
2. Each group has a MARK SCHEME specific to this
question
3. You all know the SKILLS you need to show in order to
meet your target grade, you should include in your
plan how you will meet these – How will you get the
detail for your counter-arguments? How will you
ensure your points are detailed? Relevant?
Learning Objective: to apply knowledge of the
nature nurture debate to an essay question
ALL will apply knowledge of the nature-nurture
debate to a past examination question
MOST will review performance on
comprehension questions on the debate, and
assess where to focus their revision
SOME will synthesise information about the
debate in order to form a detailed essay plan