DO NOW: Answer the exam question on your desk!

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) • 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 • AO1 One mark for a clear and coherent outline of the meaning of ‘interactionistapproach’. 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) • Distinguish between hard and soft determinism • Outline 2 problems of ‘free will’ in psychology • Explain why determinism is compatible with the scientific approach. Use an example of a psychological approach to illustrate your answer. • 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 • What is meant by the ‘unshared environment’ explain why this is an important concept in the nature-nurture debate • 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. • Key features of the scientific approach are causallinks, predictionand control of behaviour. Because determinism assumes that every physical event is causedthen 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.

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 • You will need your GENERIC debates success sheet • Each group has a MARK SCHEME specific to this question • 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?

DO NOW: Answer the exam question on your desk!