...Genetic Factors are those that we inherit through our parents, they are used to explain why aggression runs through families. Genetic factors play a role in aggressive behaviour and lies within an individual’s genetic make-up. Psychologists, look at twin studies to try and find evidence on a genetic basis to compare the degree of similarity of aggression between sets of monozygotic (MZ) twins and dizygotic (DZ) twins. A lot of the time, it is found that aggressive behaviour is more highly correlated in MZ twins than DZ twins. An example of this would be when McGuffin and Gottesman found a concordance rate of 87% for aggressive behaviour in MZ twins, compared with 72% for DZ twin pairs. However we cannot just rely on evidence from twin studies because they can be problematic as it is hard to disentangle nature and nurture. Many have suggested that MZ twins are treated more alike and share more similar environments than DZ twins because they act more like 'one' person rather than two separate people. This may affect how alike they are and how likely they are to express aggression. Researchers have also identified a number of genes that can potentially cause aggression. Although no individual gene for aggression has been identified in humans, a gene responsible for the production of the protein MAOA has been associated with aggressive behaviour. MAOA regulates the metabolism of serotonin in the brain. Low levels of serotonin have been associated with aggression. In 1993, a study...
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...and Practice in Psychology (Criminal Behaviour) “Criminal behaviour runs in families”. Discuss this statement in light of the nature-nurture debate and considering recent and relevant literature. For a number of years the dilemma of whether criminal behaviour is inherent in families or is triggered by various external factors in an individual’s environment has influenced and inspired an abundance of both criminological and psychological research. Many replicable studies have been conducted in an attempt to establish the core source of deviant and/or criminal actions , and whether such actions are to be attributed to genetics, or to one’s environment , nature or nurture. This paper shall seek to establish, where possible , the route to criminal behaviour and evaluate potential factors that could influence an individual to become delinquent . Gottfredson & Hirschi (1990) set forth a general theory of crime that identified low self-control as the main causal factor. Their theory also proposed the notion that parents play the decisive role in either nurturing or thwarting the development of self-control – dependant on the parent’s ability to monitor and supervise a child’s behaviour and respond appropriately to anti-social behaviour. They claim that parents are the sole contributors to the cause of low self-control and therefore they reject potential genetic contributions in their theory . Their theory illustrates that criminal behaviour is simply caused by one’s parental socialization...
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...Discuss genetic factors involved in aggressive behaviour A way to study the hereditary of aggression is through twin studies. There are two types of twins; monozygotic who are identical and share all the same genes are dizygotic who are non-identical and share only 50% of genes. If there is a 100% concordance rate between monozygotic twins it suggests that share genes may be responsible for aggressive behaviour rather than the environment. Caccaro et al found that there was a 50% variance in aggressive behaviour of adult twin pairs and that it was caused by genetic factors suggesting that genetics are involved with the aggression of individuals. Research that supports the link between genetics and aggression was conducted by Rhee and Waldman who conducted a meta-analysis of 51 studies and found that there was a relationship between genetic factors and anti-social behaviour suggesting that genetics does have an effect on levels of aggression. Adoption studies have looked at examining levels of aggression between adopted children and their biological parents. If a positive correlation is found between the adoptee and biological parent then a genetic factor is implied but if a positive correlation is found between the adoptee and rearing family then a environmental factor may be implied suggesting that it is not only genetic factors that influence levels of aggression. Research that supports adoption studies was conducted by Hutchings and Mendick who studied 14,000 adoptions...
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...Discuss genetic and environmental influences on behaviour. (22) There has been a debate in psychology regarding nature (genetics) and nurture (the environment) and whether one of these explanations alone determine human behaviour, or whether there are other factors influencing our actions. There are two different stances that people take on whether language development is genetic or environmental. Nativists believe that the capacity for language can be classed as ‘innate’. Whereas empiricists suggest that, it is environmental variables that play a vital role in language development. It would be ethically impossible to study behaviour in total isolation in order to determine whether genetics or environmental influences for our behaviour. The closest research recorded, focusing on this case is a girl named Genie (1970); who was socially isolated for the first 13 years of her life, by her father. Genie’s case presented researchers with a unique opportunity. Psychologist James Kent described Genie as a ‘profoundly damaged child’ as it was discovered that she could hardly walk and could only speak around 20 simple words. It was suggested that although she started learning single words. In most cases it is thought that after a few words have been acquired it is then followed by what is called language explosion. However, this never happened for genie her language abilities didn’t improve, and she appeared unable to apply grammatical rules and use language in a meaningful way...
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...Introduction Introduction Outline and evaluate the role of genetic factors in aggressive behaviour (5+16 marks) Moghaddom (1998) distinguishes between explanations of aggression which are normative, and those which are causal. Causal explanations, as in this case, suggest aggression is determined by particular factors e.g. genes and are usually biological explanations. The genetic explanation of aggression suggests that it is influenced through our genes, and that such behaviour is therefore inherited. Para 1 A01 Para 1 A01 It is thought that aggression is due to a defective gene that is inherited by following generations. One possible gene is the Monoamine Oxidase A gene, which produces Monoamine Oxidase A enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters associated with aggression. It is thought that a build-up of serotonin and dopamine can cause an individual to act aggressively to stress in the fight or flight response. There are two forms of the gene, MAOA-H (produces a high level of the enzyme) and MAOA-L (produces a low amount of the enzyme). The presence of the MAOA-L gene is related to an increase likelihood of aggression. One third of people in Western countries have the MAOA-L gene, compared to two thirds in countries with a history of warfare; leading the gene to be dubbed with the term “warrior gene”. Para 2 A02 Para 2 A02 Research to support the role of the MAOA gene comes from Cases et al who disabled the gene in the X chromosome of mice. As no enzyme was produced...
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...investigation of the causes of crime, stressing in particular the influence of hereditary, psychological and social factors (Glick, 2004: 69).” The school of thought that believes in behaviour primarily being attributed to inherited predispositions and genetic influences is the Positivist school (predestined actor model). The predestined actor model has three basic formulations:...
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...experiential growth (nurture), over genetic predisposition (nature), in the development of human behaviour. This notion is inaccurate, as in actuality, the shaping of human behaviour does not rely solely on learned experience. Human behaviour is in fact a mutual interaction of both genetic and environmental factors, with genetic predisposition playing a substantial role. It was argued by G.W Leibniz that an individual inherently contains the sources of various notions which external objects merely rouse up on suitable occasions. This essay will concur with Leibniz’s philosophy that in fact it is the interplay of individual nature and nurture which drives the development of human behaviour, in particular, antisocial behaviour, to in turn, contradict John Locke’s tabula rasa hypothesis. Antisocial behaviours are disruptive acts characterised by hostility, intentional aggression towards others and destructive behaviour. The behaviour includes repeated violations and definance of social rules and authority, and a reckless disregard for self and others. It is characterised by deceitfulness and theft, and is considered socially unacceptable (D.C Hardy). Researchers have produced convincing evidence that antisocial behaviour in adulthood is often the product of childhood/adolescent conduct problems. Patterns of persistent deviant behaviour, attention difficulties and overly aggressive behaviour (Moffitt, 1993, 2003) are associated with antisocial behaviour later in life. Between forty to...
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...D1 – Analyse the significance of genetic influence as opposed to social factors in human development. Nature is that which is inherited or genetic and nurture is how we are brought up in our environment, including personal experiences in life. Nature is the biological genes that are passed down from the parents whereas nurture is the environment such as wealth and education passed down to the genetic offspring. Genetic factors are part of nature as they are innate through the genes from their parents, for example cystic fibrosis which is when there is faulty genes and also down syndrome is when they have an extra gene. Social factors are more of an individual’s development for example the society, education and the status of the family a child is brought up in will affect their development. Nurture Nurture theory holds that theory that genetic influence over abstract traits may exist. However the environmental factors are the real origins of our behaviour. Although it’s true that fraternal twins raised apart have similarities in most aspects, still the intervention of the environment has caused several differences in the way they behave. Nature The coding of genes in each cell in us humans determine the different traits that we have, more dominantly on the physical attributes like eye colour, hair colour, ear size, height and other traits. It is still not known whether the more abstract attributes like personality, intelligence, sexual orientation, likes and dislikes are...
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...perspective is to determine the physiological basis of psychology and most importantly behaviour. The perspective primarily uses the experimental method and has been criticized for being too reductionist and for using non-human animals. Strengths By knowing the physiological basis of behaviour we can treat symptoms with drugs evolutionary theory can explain things that would otherwise be unexplainable Weaknesses It is difficult to seperate genetic influence from environmental influence It's reductionistic Can't explain altruism well Historical Context The biological perspective was created as a reaction to the theory of dualism, that the mind and the brain are two seperate entities. Some important researchers in the development of the biological perspective are: Plato-nativism Darwin- Outlined evolution and the idea of nativism and heredity Jean Baptiste Lamarck-studied heredity Phineas Gage- Brain injury has the ability to affect behaviour II. Key Concepts Heredity- influence of genes Nativism- certain traits are inately hardwired at birth Evolution Hemisphere specialization Neurotransmission Localization Evolution Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS = Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion) Biological preparedness Basic Assumptions There are four main basic assumptions of the biological perspective: Behavior is biologically determined Behavior has a genetic basis Localization of function Animals may be used to help understand human behavior ...
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...Obsessive Compulsive Disorder What is OCD? OCD is an anxiety disorder where sufferers experience persistent and intrusive thoughts occurring as obsessions, compulsions or a combination of the two. Obsessions are things that people think about and can comprise of inappropriate ideas and visual images that aren’t based on reality, such as being convinced that there are germs everywhere. Compulsions are what people do as a result of those obsessions; they are an attempt to reduce distress or prevent feared events, though there is little chance of them doing so. Symptoms of OCD. Obsessive symptoms. Common obsessions include: * Contamination, eg by germs. * Fear of losing control, eg through impulses to hurt someone. * Perfectionism, eg fear of not being the best. * Religion, eg fear of being immoral. Common obsessions include: * Contamination, eg by germs. * Fear of losing control, eg through impulses to hurt someone. * Perfectionism, eg fear of not being the best. * Religion, eg fear of being immoral. Behavioural. * Hinders everyday functioning – having obsessive ideas of an inappropriate type creates such anxiety that the ability to perform everyday tasks is severely hindered, for example, being able to work effectively. * Social impairment – anxiety levels generated are so high as to limit the ability to conduct meaningful interpersonal relationships. Emotional. * Extreme anxiety – persistent inappropriate or forbidden ideas...
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...MODELS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR To read up on models of addictive behaviour, refer to pages 609–618 of Eysenck’s A2 Level Psychology. Ask yourself * Is there a biological basis to addictive behaviour? * Can somebody learn to be an addict? * How might explanations of addiction differ for different addictions? What you need to know MODELS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR | EXPLANATIONS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR | * Biological, behavioural (learning), and cognitive models of addictive behaviour | * Biological, behavioural (learning), and cognitive explanations for initiation, maintenance, and relapse * Specific explanations of particular addictions including smoking and gambling | MODELS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR The models of addictive behaviour attempt to explain the causes and thereby offer insights into how an addiction develops. The assumptions as to the causes of addiction also affect the approach taken to treatment. Biological model of addictive behaviour According to this model, the main causes of addictive behaviour are biological factors within the individual, for example, a neurochemical imbalance or a genetic predisposition towards addictive behaviour. Thus, the vulnerability to develop an addiction may be inherited and family studies are used to support this explanation. Thus approach assumes that addiction has physical causes and can therefore only be cured through medicine. Behavioural (learning) model of addictive behaviour This model is based...
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...illness. The focus of health psychology goes beyond that of medicine to stress the prevention and enhancement of health. It expands the biological framework of medicine to also include psychological and social factors. The scope of health psychology is very broad because many theories and methods of psychology can be applied to health-related issues. Maes & van Elderen (1998) (cited in Gross, 2009) defines health psychology as “…a sub-discipline of psychology which addresses the relationship between psychological processes and behaviour on the one hand and health and illness on the other...”. Health psychology aims to understand, explain, develop and test theories by evaluating the role of psychology and its perspectives as factors affecting illness, predicting unhealthy behaviours and understanding and evaluating the role of psychology in the experience and treatment of illness. It also aims to put theory into practice by promoting healthy behaviour, preventing illness and thereby improving the health care system and health policy. For example, from programmes developed to help people reduce risk factors to their health, such as obesity and smoking, to understanding how people respond to the onset of illness, how they deal with their illness, how they cope with pain and how they respond to treatments. Therefore, health psychology is an important discipline that has a great deal to offer to the health care system, demonstrating that psychological principals can be successful...
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...or nurture? Nature is how much of your personality is genetic, what you were born with. Nurture is how much of your personality was caused because of your environment, how you were raised. So does nature or nurture contribute more to someone's personality and behaviour? Or do they both play a role in shaping our lives? I hope to come to a conclusion with this debate in the end of my thesis. With nurturing, people tend to observe others actions and behaviour, and try to be like others. As a result, the human behaviour is the result of experience and imitating. The social learning theory suggests that we learn through imitation and observation. It also suggests that people learn within the environment and get approval from the public by learning through an influential model. Bandura, a known psychologist found that according to this theory, a model can be the main cause for learning new actions. However, when there is a role model that illustrates bad behaviour, that behaviour could be imitated by young children. A few psychologists criticised Bandura’s theories- where children behaved more aggressively after observing violent acts from their family members. This meant that children, who witness their parent’s aggressive behaviour, have a higher risk of being abusive later on in their life. This theory is also questionable as there could be other factors, like genetics, which affect the behaviour. Our behaviour is more influenced by the genes we inherit than the environment...
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...affect the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of two stages of the development of the individual (D1). Nature can be loosely defined as genetic inheritance or the genetic makeup (the information encoded in your genes) which a person inherits from both parents at the time of conception and carries throughout life. Several things in an individual genetically inherits include; ranging from gender, eye colour, risks for certain diseases and exceptional talents to height. The concept of nature thus refers to biologically inherited tendencies and abilities that people have and which may get revealed later on as they grow up. Nurture can be defined as the different environmental factors to which a person is subjected from birth to death. There are many environmental factors. They include both physical environments and social environments. Some theorists believe that people behave as they do according to genetic predispositions or even because of ‘animal instincts.’ This is known as the ‘nature’ theory of human behaviour. Other theorists believe that people think and behave in certain ways because they are taught to do so. This is known as the ‘nurture’ theory of human behaviour. (www.yourenglishlessons.wordpress.com) Nature refers to the inherited (genetic) characteristics and tendencies that influence development. Some inherited characteristics appear in virtually everyone. All children have a set of universal human genes that, when coupled with a reasonable...
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...feeding schedules for infants and an orderly approach to child rearing. Benjamin Spock’s urged parents not engage in conflicts over issues such as weaning and toilet training, and to display affection to their children. Today Watson’s views are seen as emotionally cold and excessively rigid, while Spock’s recommendations as overly indulgent. What does developmental psychology study? Developmental science seeks to identify variables that influence development and to explain how they work together to shape an individual’s life. Scientists develop theories and conduct research aimed at describing, explaining, and predicting age-related changes in behaviour, thinking, emotions and social relationships. Definition Orderly and relatively enduring changes over time in physical and neurological structures, thought processes, and behaviour. 3 broad goals in the study of 3 child development: * To understand changes that appear to be universal * To explain individual differences * To understand how children’s behaviour is influenced by the environmental context or situation. Perspective on development 1) Nature and nurture Idealists and rationalists, Plato and Descartes believed that at least some knowledge is inborn. Empiricists insisted that the mind is a blank state. In contrast, other philosophers believed that development involved an interaction between internal and external forces. 2) Stages and sequences Continuity-discontinuity issue...
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