Evaluate the Relative Contribution of Nature and Nurture...

Evaluate the relative contribution of nature and nurture to human psychological functioning. Illustrate you answer with reference to material from at least two chapters from book 2. The debate concerning the contribution of nature and nurture to human psychological functioning is one of the longest running and most controversial within psychology. The question is what elements of human behaviour can be explained in terms of physical being and what can be explained in terms of social environment. Although this debate is relevant to many topics within psychology this essay will focus on two: language and sex and gender. Firstly it must be made clear what is meant by nature and nurture. Nature refers to the characteristics and abilities†¦show more content†¦This research demonstrates the importance of understanding the shared meanings of a conversation with both party’s having knowledge of the context and culture. This highlights the nurture influence with these rules being taught and learnt and conflicts with Chompsky view that this knowledge was innate. Much research has been done on the influences of nature and nurture within the topic of sex and gender. ‘There is a world of difference between male/female and masculine and feminine: whereas the former are supposedly biologically prescribed, the latter are psychological characteristics shaped by the experience of growing up’ (Hollway et al. 2002, p119) This explanation goes some way to describing the perception of sex and gender. The biological approach emphasizes the physiological processes and, in most cases, it is the hormones and genes that determine the sex, and to some extent the behaviour patterns. These behaviour patterns were the subject of a study by Money Erhardt in 1972 who research the behaviours of 25 girls who had been exposed to male type hormones in the womb. It was suggested that the girls exhibited a tomboyish behaviour and played more boyishly as a consequence of these hormones. The evolutionary arguments for sex differences focus on the different r eproductive strategies between males and females. This approach concentrates on the optimal reproductive style which is the behaviourShow MoreRelatedSociological and Psychological Theories of Crime Causation1978 Words   |  8 PagesSociological and Psychological Theories of Crime Causation The aim of this essay is to compare, contrast and evaluate two sociological theories of crime causation and two psychological theories of crime causation. Sociological Theories of crime, Labelling and Structural Functionalism/ Strain. Howard Becker is a sociologist that is often credited with the development of the labelling theory. 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