Outline and discuss the nature-nurture debate in Psychology. Refer to two topics you have studied in your answer.

The nature-nurture debate relates to the relative importance of heredity and environment on behaviour. The nurture side of the debate argues that environmental experience (pre- and post-natal) shape our behaviour. John Locke described the mind as a 'blank slate' upon which experience writes, this is the behaviourist approach. The differential association theory of criminality suggests that crime is learned through interactions with significant others. It theorizes that the more exposed an individual is to pro-crime attitudes the more likely they are to commit a crime. However, it is difficult to measure the number of pro- or anti-crime attitudes a person is exposed to in their environment. This limits the reliability and scientific credibility of the theory.
In contrast, the nature approach could be viewed as more scientific and empirical. Early nativists argued that human behaviour is a result of innate drives that are hereditary. Family studies and twin studies have found certain characteristics have a strong genetic basis. For example, Holland et al. (1988) found that monozygotic twins (MZ) had a concordance rate of 56%, compared to dizygotic twins (DZ) who were found to have a concordance rate of 5%. This suggests that there is a high genetic prevalence for Anorexia Nervosa. However, twin studies have been criticised as it could be suggested that MZ twins are more likely to share a similar environment than DZ twins as they look the same and as a result may be treated more similarly. Furthermore, concordance is never 100% which suggests that there is an environmental influence. This suggests that both nature and nurture play a role in shaping behaviour which is a perspective now coined the interactionist approach.