...Nature vs. Nurture Troy Crosland WGU Issues in Behavior Science GLT1 Nature vs. Nurture Issues concerning the nature vs. nurture debate are amongst the oldest in science. This debate centers around the argument of biological and genetic contributions as opposed to those imposed on human development from environmental factors. Many scholars such as Descartes and Plato suggest many of our individual traits are inherited from our parents, they happen naturally regardless of any influence from our environment. John Locke and many other prominent thinkers have promoted the idea of tabula rasa (blank slate), which promotes the idea that when born our minds are like a blank slate ready to be shaped by experience and influence from our environment. (Cherry, 2011, p. 1) The controversy surrounding the nature vs. nurture debate is over whether children develop various attributes based on their genetics known as “nature” or is it more associated to how they are raised which is know as “nurture”. (Sessions & Larson, 2011, expression 1) So why does it matter if we are born intelligent, or become intelligent? There are many reasons the nature vs. nurture debate continues, her are a few reasons: * Parenthood/Relationships: If specific attributes are due to environmental factors (nurture), parents and educators can implement the most effective methods discovered in order to get the best results. If said attributes are determined to be more influenced by genetics (nature)...
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...NATURE V.S. NURTURE The Nature vs. Nurture debate is one of the oldest and most commonly debated psychological conflicts around. Arguments from both sides on this subject are hard to dispute. Whether it is in our DNA or it was predisposition it’s hard to agree or disagree with either stand-point being that they both offer interesting and intriguing views that are insightful, informative and unfortunately unfounded. With that being said it’s still an argument that will continue to stand the test of time and continually be debated for centuries down the road until a definitive explanation can be fathomed. Nature vs. Nurture is a phrase for the long-standing controversy as to the relative influences of genetics versus the environment in the development of personality traits. Nature is represented by instincts and genetic influences and nurture by social influences and environment. The Nature part of this debate is influenced by the idea that we get our traits and characteristics from our DNA and nowhere else. It is easy to ascertain and prove that we get our physical traits such as eye color, hair color, height and otherphysical traits from DNA. The unknown is whether we get our more abstract traits from DNA like character, intelligence, sexuality and preferences to likes or dislikes. The Nurture side of this is debatea agrees that genetic influence is a key factor in the abstract physical traits but nothing more. It also goes on saying that the environment that we...
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...Nature vs. Nurture There is an issue that has been conferred upon by philosophers in the past and still so by scientists today. This issue is whether heredity or environment plays a greater role in the determining or shaping of an individual's behavior. It is known as the nature versus nurture debate. Numerous generations before us have deliberated on the reasons behind the development of human behavior. There have been many theories formulated to explain why humans behave the way they do. The surviving theories for behavior derive from physiological and sociological explanations. However, the two explanations have not always been compatible with each other. The famous nature vs. nurture debate over human behavior resulted from conflicting views between proponents of the physiological (nature) and sociological (nurture) explanations. Throughout history, research has swayed popularity back and forth between the theories. Yet, theorists have broken down the line separating nature and nurture. As of today, people utilize both explanations to explore human behavior. Way before our time, early philosophers endeavored to understand the human behavior. As early as 350 BC, such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle tried to understand behavior. The question of nature or nurture as the primary drive can be traced to these times. Plato believed behavior and knowledge was due to innate factors. Author Fiona Cowie states, "The claim that the character of our mental furniture is to...
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...behavior: nature or nurture. Nature is simply the unmodifiable factors or genetics that an individual is born with; those who believe that nature is the primary shaping force of who we become are called nativists. While Nurture is the modifiable factors such as the environment or experiences that are unique to each individual; those who consider nurture as the primary driving force in human development are called empiricists. As many articles that are out there concerning the nature vs. nurture debate, there are that many differing opinions and claims that say that the question has finally been solved and that either nature or nurture is more responsible for determining an individual’s traits. Some of the newer articles also claim that they are equally responsible or that neither is solely responsible and that there are multiple other factors that play into the equation. Clearly the debate continues and it has not only two, but many sides. The nature vs. nurture debate can often get heated and is quite controversial. According to an article from Diffen (2015), “Some observers offer the criticism that modern science tends to give too much weight to the nature side of the argument, in part because of the potential harm that has come from rationalized racism. Historically, much of this debate has had undertones of racist and eugenicist policies — the notion of race as a scientific truth has often been assumed as a prerequisite in various incarnations of the nature versus nurture debate...
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...2014 Nature vs Nurture The nature vs nurture debate has been a raging topic for decades now. It has caused much controversy in justifying human characteristics, especially concerning the defense of criminal behavior. Many people believe that our actions and conduct comes from the genes we possess, and that we are born with a higher likelihood to act in certain ways. Others believe that our behavior is a result of our childhood, and how we are brought up. Extensive research has been done on the nature vs nurture debate. Although both nature and nurture ultimately affect one’s behavioral characteristics, it seems nurture has a much greater impact. So, is our behavior affected by our heredity and genes, or by the environment we grow up in? What is nature? “Nature is your genes. The physical and personality traits determined by your genes stay the same irrespective of where you were born and raised” ("Nature vs Nurture." Diffen.com. Diffen LLC, n.d. Web. 3 Dec 2014). Taking in the consideration of I.Q., studies prove that genetics has a great effect. Adopted siblings have no more similar of an I.Q. than strangers, while blood related siblings have an I.Q. correlation of .6. Twins especially, having an I.Q. correlation of .86 (Nancy,L. Same-Age Unrelated Siblings: A Unique Test of Within-Family Environmental Influences on IQ Similarity. Journal of Educational Psychology. 1997 June; 89(2): 381-390.) DeNoto, 1 Nature vs Nurture The nature vs nurture debate...
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...Psychologists have argued for many centuries about the influences of nature and nurture on the personality of humans. What is nature and nurture? Nature is referring to your genetic background, or what is passed down from your parents. Nurture refers to what you learn throughout your life. Does nature or nurture form and create your personality? Nature, as defined by psychologists, is your genetic background. When you are born, you obtain certain genes and traits from both your mother and father. Some psychologists believe that this is what forms your personality. Science has discovered that these coding of genes forms your eye color, hair color, nose size, and other physical traits. In a recent experiment, scientists found fraternal twins that were separated at birth. The twins went on to...
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...Ashley Gibbons PSY-400:History and Systems of Psychology Final Paper January 22, 2015 The nature versus nurture debate has lasted for centuries because of the difficulty of separating genetic and environmental factors in human beings. Psychologists have been debating for years and years if genetics or your surroundings are more important in determining your personalities. It is truly fascinating to stop and ask your self some questions. What makes me shy or brave? What makes me smart and what makes me lack common sense? What makes me the way I am? Is it the way I was born and the genetics I have or is it because of the environment I grew up around and the behaviors I caught on to? Just thinking about all the questions you can stop and ask yourself about why you are the way you are can give you some idea as to why nature versus nurture is still such a big debate today. The coding in each of our cells determines the different traits that we are going to have, more dominantly like the eye color, hair color, ear size and height. “However, it is still not known weather the more abstract attributes like personality, intelligence, sexual orientation, likes and dislikes are gene coded in our DNA, too”(explorable.com). One of the hottest issues that people like to bring up today regarding looking at the nature theory is the gay issue. People like the say that there is an actual “gay gene” that exists and that gay people are born that way. Another issue that we face today would be the...
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...Nature versus Nurture Lloyd Williams W00634255 lloydvw@yahoo.com Nature • People are born with some innate abilities that they use to interact with and understand the world world. • Through prolonged use, learners will eventually achieve proficiency in the target language. Nurture • People are born “tabula rasa” (or blank slate) and become who they are through the course of their lives alone alone. • Students need to be taught their language. Naturists vs. Nurturists vs • Noam Chomsky oa C o s y • Stephen Krashen • Gardner • • • • Vygotsky ygots y Piaget Pavlov Skinner The Intelligence Quotient (IQ) • Test created in 1905 to predict which students would benefit from teaching. • Attempts to objectively measure “intelligence” intelligence • Scores are given as numbers that show the test taker’s results relative to others. • When adjusted for age, a person’s IQ generally does not vary greatly over the course of their life. • IQ tests can be given on various skills (linguistic, math, etc) Nurture Theories (Skinner) Behaviorism B h i i • Knowledge and Linguistic ability results from stimulus-response conditioning. • Focus is on controlling behavior not behavior, cognitive processes. •C Concerned only with d l ith observable/measurable behavior. Nurture Methods The Audio-lingual M th d Th A di li l Method • Based on Behaviorism – Positive reinforcement of desired production – Emphasis on “correctness” ...
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...surroundings build the rest. Some psychologists strongly believe that genetics have fairly little to do with people's personalities but rather it is our surroundings, culture, and traditions that shape who we are. According to Saul McLeod, author of "Nature Nurture in psychology from Simply Psychology, "At the other end of the spectrum are the environmentalists – also known as empiricists (not to be confused with the other empirical / scientific approach). Their basic assumption is that at birth the human mind is a tabula rasa (a blank slate) and that this is gradually “filled” as a result of experience." Other people for nurture believe our childhood and experiences are the only thing that determines how well each individual deals with social situations. In the article "Taking the 'vs.' out of nature vs. nurture" the author, Alana Snibbe, states how culture is a big part of nurture and who we are. Culture is humans way of answering life's unanswerable questions and it's this that shapes a lot about how we think and our individual psychology. People who believe in the same things are probably going to think alike and act alike. Obviously, there are some very extreme cases where nature is taken out of the debate all together and nurture is the sole factor to why someone behaves the way they do. Some examples are an abusive parent, being abandoned or neglected and always being in someone's shadow. These situations have a much bigger effect on humans than any genes. On...
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...arguments in the history of psychology is the Nature vs Nurture debate. Each of these sides have good points that it's really hard to decide whether a person's development is predisposed in his DNA, or a majority of it is influenced by this life experiences and his environment. As of now, we know that both nature and nurture play important roles in human development, but we have not known yet whether we are developed majorly because of nature or due to nurture. 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 color, hair color, ear size, height, and other traits. However, it is still not known whether the more abstract attributes like personality, intelligence, sexual orientation, likes and dislikes are gene-coded in our DNA, too. One of the hottest issues against nature theory is that there may be an existing "gay gene", which explains that gays are actually born that way. Another issue is that the criminal acts, tendency to divorce and aggressive behavior causing abuse can be justified by the "behavioral genes" once the researchers have proven their existence. On the other hand, the behavioral genes are somewhat proven to exist when we take a look at fraternal twins. When fraternal twins are reared apart, they show the same similarities in behavior and response as if they have been reared together. Nurture The nurture theory holds that genetic influence over abstract...
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...Homosexuality, Nature vs. Nurture Western Governors University Homosexuality, Nature vs. Nurture Nature versus nurture is one of the most enduring debates in the psychology world today. These debates have been studied and reviewed for many years, with only hypotheses formed, no clear conclusions have been met. In the middle of the debates is human behavior, whether they are learned or inherited remains unanswered. Intelligence, ability, or even personality remains under scrutiny whether these traits are learned or predetermined by specific genes. Physical characteristics can be contributed to hereditary, i.e. eye color or hair color. When referring to nature, it is assumed that what and who we are, as humans, comes in a natural state or inherited. In other words, we are going to be who we are without the influence on how we were raised and matured in our environment. On the other hand, nurture is viewed as what or who we are as a result of our influences and our environment or surroundings. Homosexuality is one of the hottest topics today. One of the reasons for the popularity is the current debate on same sex marriage, along with homosexual human rights campaigns going on in today’s public arena. More so either this “behavior” is by choice or predetermined by genes. The Studies One of the best research in this area is on identical twins. Howard Gruber, the director of the Institute for Cognitive Studies at Rutgers University in Newark, reviewed and quoted two...
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...Nature vs. Nurture The nature versus nurture is about the importance of people natural qualities versus personal experiences. Personal experiences are nurture. It’s the different between in distinguishing the differences in a person actions, such as physical and behavioral traits. People mostly get all of their behavior from nurture. Both of these terms play a role in development. EDITNature vs nurture in personality traits Personality is a frequently cited example of a heritable trait that has been studied in twins and adoptions. Identical twins reared apart are far more similar in personality than randomly selected pairs of people. Likewise, identical twins are more similar than fraternal twins. Also, biological siblings are more similar in personality than adoptive siblings. Each observation suggests that personality is heritable to a certain extent. However, these same study designs allow for the examination of environment as well as genes. Adoption studies also directly measure the strength of shared family effects. Adopted siblings share only family environment. Unexpectedly, some adoption studies indicate that by adulthood the personalities of adopted siblings are no more similar than random pairs of strangers. This would mean that shared family effects on personality are zero by adulthood. As is the case with personality, non-shared environmental effects are often found to out-weigh shared environmental effects. That is, environmental effects that are typically thought...
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...The Nature or Nature (2014) video explains the debate of nature vs. nurture and how it is reflected on social class. The clip describes how when looked upon studies of twins both genetics and environment effects a person’s behavior and personality. The professor in the video suggests that “children in poverty, their home environment was the most important factor, their genes had no role in shaping them as a person” (McDaid, 2014). Furthermore, he explains that the lower the individual is on a social class ranking, the less their genes are communicated through their behavior and personality. He states that the more money a person attains, the more they are able to “express them”. The debate of nature vs. nurture has been discussed over many years between social scientist and how it has to do with process of socialization. In the textbook it states, “…Thus far, preliminary results from the available twin studies indicate that both genetic factors and socialization...
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...behavior, intelligence, and personality. Ultimately, the old argument of nature vs. nurture has never really been won. We do not yet know how much of what we are is determined by our DNA and how much by our life experience. But we do know that both play a part. What is Nature vs Nurture? It has been reported that the use of the terms "nature" and "nurture" as a convenient catch-phrase for the roles of heredity and environment in human development can be traced back to 13th century France. Some scientists think that people behave as they do according to genetic predispositions or even "animal instincts." This is known as the "nature" theory of human behavior. Other scientists 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 behavior. Fast-growing understanding of the human genome has recently made it clear that both sides are partly right. Nature endows us with inborn abilities and traits; nurture takes these genetic tendencies and molds them as we learn and mature. End of story, right? Nope. The "nature vs nurture" debate still rages on, as scientist fight over how much of who we are is shaped by genes and how much by the environment. The Nature Theory - Heredity Scientists have known for years that traits such as eye color and hair color are determined by specific genes encoded in each human cell. The Nature Theory takes things a step further to say that more abstract traits such...
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...Scientist have debated about nature vs. nurture and whether, which one can be scientifically proven to provide evidence about the facts; from human behavior and identical twins separated at birth. Looking through the points of nature argues that put made by their parents, scientifically speaking, every trait and gene is genetically passed down through our parents. On another note, nurture provides us with evidence about our personalities and how they are sculpted through how and where we grew up (Scott, 2008). Of course dramatic experiences change a person’s perspective on certain issues throughout the course of time. Looking through some research I have discovered two main examples that argue both nature and nurture. The movie “Elf” shows us that him growing up in North...
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