Nature and Nurture

The context
Our understanding of the factors that determine human behaviour has implications for the legal system, for childcare and for medical treatments. Genetic explanations for human behaviour are popular but incomplete. The context for this topic is a study of the contributions science is making to our understanding of both genetic and social influences on human personality and behaviour.

Science explanations
Science explanations needed include the way that the brain develops during childhood, a review of the genetics learned at AS and a brief consideration of new work on epigenetics.

How science works
This topic looks at some of the evidence for genetic and for environmental causes and at the research techniques that have to be used to distinguish the two or to detect the significant interactions between them. Ideas that are important in this topic include, ways of developing and testing scientific explanations and how the scientific community operates to validate these explanations. Understanding of the role of the media in disseminating scientific information and some of its problems is developed from ideas covered at AS.

Last updated: 30 October 2009