Nature vs. Nurture

Nativists argue that...

• human characteristics are innate

• human characteristics are shaped by the environment

• human characteristics is learnt

When we are discussing an interaction between nature and nurture we write it as so...

• nature vs. nurture

• nature and nurture

• nature-nurture

If we are are studying behaviour using natural experiments and observations we are taking a...

• nativist approach

• empiricist approach

Correlation co-efficients show...

• the relative influence of nature-nurture

• the influence of nature over nurture

The degree to which two people are similar on a particular trait can be represented by a...

• heritability co-efficient

• correlation co-efficient

• effect size

​ (a)   suggest that out genetic make-up determines our characteristics and behaviour, whilst the environment has little input. This extreme ​ (b)   stance has led to controversy, such as linking IQ to race and intelligence.

• Nativists
• Empiricists
• determinist
• reductionist

Your life experiences can shape your biology (e.g. the taxi drivers with bigger spatial memories than controls).This provides evidence of the ​ (a)   side of the approach, suggesting that often ​ (b)   can have a large influence on a persons behaviour.  

• nurture
• nature

A strong commitment to nature or nurture corresponds to a belief in hard determinism. The ​ (a)   perspective would suggest that ‘anatomy is destiny’ (biological determinism) whilst ​ (b)   would argue that interaction with the environment is all (​ (c)   determinism).

• nativist
• empiricists
• environmental
• biological