To Start: Meet the parents who are raising a genderless baby… The Big Question is WHY? What does this suggest about human behaviour? Gender/nature,nurture A Canadian couple from Toronto have decided to keep the gender of their four-month-old baby a secret in order to raise what they call a 'genderless' child. Storm will be raised as neither a boy nor girl and will choose a sex when he or she grows up. Kathy Witterick and David Stocker have only revealed Storm’s gender to close members of the family, including their two young sons, one friend and the midwives who delivered the child. After Storm was born on New Year’s Day, the parents sent out an email to the rest of their friends and loved ones, writing: “We’ve decided not to share Storm’s sex - a tribute to choice in a place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become in Storm’s lifetime ( a more progressive place?...).”

Specification Specification link: This workbook will cover the following topics from the specification. Gender and culture in psychology – universality and bias. Gender bias including androcentrism and alpha and beta bias; culture bias, including ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.   Free will and determinism: hard determinism and soft determinism; biological, environmental and psychic determinism. The scientific emphasis on causal explanations. The nature-nurture debate: the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining behaviour; the interactionist approach. Holism and reductionism: levels of explanation in psychology. Biological reductionism and environmental (stimulus-response) reductionism. Idiographic and nomothetic approaches to psychological investigation. Ethical implications of research studies and theory, including reference to social sensitivity.

Lesson Objectives To be able to outline the nature vs nurture approach. To use key terminology in the description of the debate. To apply research to the debate as examples To be able to describe and give examples of the interactionist approach in psychology. To evaluate the nature, nurture debate.

Define these key terms in your notes – help sheets available Important Key Terms Nature Nurture Heredity Environment Interactionist approach Define these key terms in your notes – help sheets available

What is Nature? Nature refers to innate influences on human behaviour. These are internal to the individual and are biological process such as genetic inheritance. Our genes can determine many internal processes, such as brain development and neurochemical activity and so nature refers to biological processes that are likely to be determined by our genes. An example of this is our biological sex which is determined by the sex chromosomes, XX for females and XY from males. These chromosomes influence the amount of androgens that a foetus is exposed to in the womb and can influence gender behaviour.

What is Nurture? Nurture refers to …………………………… The external influences on human behaviour. They are often referred to as environmental influences such as culture, the media and parenting styles. Nutrition and education would also be important environmental influences. A good example of the nurture side of the debate is the behaviourist approach. They suggest that our behaviour is determined by the rewards and punishments we have received in childhood. For example, a child rewarded for sticking up for themselves in the playground and hitting back may grow up to develop aggressive tendencies. Extreme nurture views argue that we are born a blank slate waiting for experience to create who we are

The Nature Nurture Debate The nature and nurture debate refers to……… The nature nurture debate refers to the relative importance of biological factors and environmental factors on human behaviour. An extreme nativist view (nature) suggests that behaviour, such as IQ and personality, is genetically determined and an extreme nurture view suggests that behaviour is determined by external factors such as conditioning, education and culture. An interactionist view suggests that human behaviour is a product of an interaction between nature and nurture and that it is foolish to hold an extreme nature or nurture view of human behaviour.

NATURE V NURTURE Debate and links to research  For example, Bowlby proposed that attachment was adaptive because it meant an infant was more likely to be protected and therefore more likely to survive. Attachment behaviours are therefore naturally selected. The concordance rate for a mental disorder such as SZ is about 40% for MZ twins and 7% for DZ twins. This shows that nature is a major contribution to the disorder.

NATURE V NURTURE Debate and links to research For example, behaviourists suggested that attachment could be explained in terms of classical conditioning – association of the mother with food. Food is the UCS Pleasure is the UCR Mother is the NS Mother+food Mother becomes the CS Pleasure when mum around the CR For example, Bandura acknowledged the urge to behave aggressively might be biological, but the important point was that the way a person learns to express anger is acquired through environmental influences (direct & indirect reinforcement).

The Interactionist Approach The Diathesis-Stress Model of abnormality is an interactionist approach used in mental illness The Interactionist Approach This approach suggests that instead of looking at either nature or nurture we should look at how the two factors interact in order to influence behaviour. Psychological research suggests that our inherited traits influence our environment and our environment influence the expression of our inherited traits.

The Interactionist Approach Passive influence – The environment a child is brought up in is linked to the genes of their parents. Intelligent parents have more books or sporty parents take their children running.

The Interactionist Approach In attachment Ainsworth believed that it was the sensitivity of the mother that influences the attachment type of the child. However, some children may be easier to be sensitive to – their temperament can influence the way they are treated by others. Reactive influence – The individuals inherited traits influence how other people react to them.

The Interactionist Approach Active influence – this is where your genetic make up influences the environment you seek out. An extrovert (Eysenck believed this was genetically determined) will seek out social situations and other people

Research You have handout with some studies that can be applied to the nature,nurture or interactionist approach – read through them and identify which part of the debate they apply to. As an extension you can state whether any interaction is passive, reactive or active.

Now for some Synoptic Links… Nature Nurture 1) Place each of the approaches on your continuum and justify their positions. 2) Add the research we have discussed today

Epigenetics Extension

AO3 Evaluation Nature-Nurture Nativists (people who follow the nature side of the debate) and the idea that our destiny is entirely controlled by our genes is very deterministic… Behaviourists believe that our behaviour can be entirely shaped by nurture – also a deterministic view Both nature and nurture do not consider the role of free will. A good thing about the extreme views is that we can isolate variables and study them in research. For example look at the role of observation and imitation (nurture) in aggression.

AO3 Evaluation A danger of extreme nature views is the fact it can lead to extreme view such as eugenics. This is the belief that with certain practices we can improve the genetic quality of the human population. If IQ is purely genetic than forced sterilisation of low IQ individuals may be suggested.

AO3 Evaluation A strong belief in nurture can lead to early intervention programmes for at risk children. Children born to criminal families or families living in poverty could take part in early intervention programmes to enhance their environment in order to improve their life chances.

Create PEEL Paragraphs Create two PEEL paragraphs on the nature and nurture debate. Get help if you need ideas.

Plan… how would you answer the following question? Discuss the nature-nurture debate in psychology. Refer to at least two topics you have studied in your answer. (16 marks) Plan… how would you answer the following question?

Link this to biology – twins and attachment Discuss - Present key points about different ideas or strengths and weaknesses of an idea, in this case is it nature or nurture ? You must address the key issue of the relationship between heredity and environment Address the Nature debate –assume that heredity is most important - behaviour, knowledge is innate. Link this to biology – twins and attachment Discuss the nature-nurture debate in psychology. Refer to at least two topics you have studied in your answer. (16 marks) Address the Nurture debate - assume that environment is most important - we are born blank slates. Link this to behaviourism and Zimbardo Address the relationship – interactionism between the two Link this to diathesis stress model and MacGuire study Discussion – what about the nature/nurture debate? it’s dangerous if we go to either extremes We can’t separate them – isn’t the debate pointless? Nature affects nurture Epigentics indicates that interactionism is more likely Scaffolded answer

Address the Nature debate – nativists assume that heredity is most important - behaviour, knowledge is innate. You don’t have to explicitly link to another topic here –use one though to illustrate the debate – this stays AO1 Still a discuss – the quote at the beginning leads you to the nature/nurture/interaction debate - this is a much more explicit indication of the issue of the relationship between heredity and environment ‘Nature and nurture interact; both are vital to understanding and explaining human behaviour.’ Referring to this statement, discuss the nature-nurture debate in psychology. (Total 16 marks) Address the Nurture debate – empiricists assume that environment is most important - we are born blank slates. You don’t have to explicitly link to another topic here –use one though to illustrate the debate – this stays AO1 Address the relationship – interactionism between the two, this is integral to the question – bring in MacGuire Discussion – what about the nature/nurture debate? it’s dangerous if we go to either extremes We can’t separate them – isn’t the debate pointless? Nature affects nurture Epigentics indicates that interactionism is more likely