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Nature vs. Nurture: The Big Question
Core Debate: How much of our behavior is due to inherited traits (nature) versus environmental influences (nurture)?
Behavior and mental processes are shaped by both heredity and environmental factors.
Heredity (Nature):
Refers to genetic or inherited traits that influence physical, behavioral, and mental characteristics.
Environmental Factors (Nurture):
Refers to external influences, such as family, education, and experiences.
Note: Detailed information about genetics (like genotype, phenotype, DNA, chromosomes, and gene expression) is not required for the AP Psychology Exam.
Evolutionary Psychology
Key Idea: Evolutionary forces have shaped human behavior to maximize survival and reproduction.
Focus: How natural selection has influenced our behaviors and mental processes.
Example: Evolutionary psychologists suggest that men are attracted to younger women and women are attracted to older, more established men because it increases the chances of successful reproduction.
Behavior Genetics
Key Idea: Examines the role of both genetics and environment in shaping behavior.
Methods: Studies of twins (identical vs. fraternal) and adopted children to identify genetic and environmental influences.
Twin Studies
Identical Twins: Develop from a single fertilized egg and share 100% of their genes.
Fraternal Twins: Develop from separate eggs and share 50% of their genes, just like regular siblings.
Key Findings: Identical twins are more alike in many traits (personality, intelligence, interests) than fraternal twins, suggesting a strong genetic influence.
The Minnesota Twin Project (Bouchard)
Focus: Studied identical twins raised apart.
Key Finding: Even when raised in different environments, identical twins showed surprising similarities in IQ and personality, emphasizing the role of genetics.
Adoption Studies
Key Findings:
Adopted children's personalities are more similar to their biological parents, indicating genetic influences.
Adoptive parents influence their children's attitudes, values, manners, faith, and politics, showing environmental factors.
Adopted children often have higher IQs than their biological parents, demonstrating the positive impact of a nurturing environment.
Heritability: The degree to which differences in traits within a group are due to genetic differences, not environment.
Key Point: High heritability means differences are mainly due to genes. Low heritability means differences are mainly due to environment.
Example: Identical twins have low heritability for most traits, since their differences are largely environmental.
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