NATURE VS NURTURE

TEH HANG LENG

 You got your complexion from your mother, and your very curly hair from your father. But you didnt inherit your athletic ability from either of them. Is it nature or nurture which determine these? Do adolescents engage in violence and substance abuse because of the way their parents treated them as toddlers? Are people naturally selfish/generous or aggressive/peaceful? The Nature vs. Nurture Debate

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The Nature vs. Nurture Debate what causes: Differences in intelligence? A tendency toward violent behavior ? Heart disease Mental illnesses?

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Nature is the extent to which abilities are present at birth. Ability can be determined by genes, including those which develop by age. Nature(genetics) The Nature Theory believes traits such as intelligence, personality, aggression are encoded in an individual's DNA.

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Nurture(environment) Nurture refers to the influence of experience. Some scientists think that your personality is based on genetic predispositions (nature). Other scientists think the way you act stems from life experience, the way you were taught, and the environment in which you grew up (nurture). Prenatal nutrition Education Peer pressure Parental role models Television Diet Stress

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To study the influence of genes on personality and behavior, psychologists have carried out: Twin studiesgenetically identical individuals are compared with each other and with those who are genetically different. Adoption studies-people who are genetically different but raised in the same environment are compared Nature Studies

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Twin studies-heredity contributes to many psychological characteristics: personality, temperament. Adoption studies- the intelligence of adopted children is more strongly related to the scores of their biological parents than to those of adoptive parents further support for the role of heredity, genes or nature. Nature Studies

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Nurture Studies supporters of the nurture theory believe they ultimately don't matter - that our behavioral aspects originate only from the environmental factors of our upbringing. Studies on infant and child temperament have revealed the most crucial evidence for nurture theories.

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Nurture Studies American psychologist John Watson, best known for his controversial experiments with a young boy named Albert, demonstrated that the acquisition of a phobia could be explained by classical conditioning. sense of humor is a learned trait, influenced by family and cultural environment, and not genetically determined. If environment didn't play a part in determining an individual's traits and behaviors, then identical twins should, theoretically, be exactly the same in all respects, even if reared apart. But a number of studies show that they are never exactly alike, even though they are remarkably similar in most respects.

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Human characteristics are a result of the combined factors of genetics and external factors. Heredity: Dan and Andy are brothers in a family that has a tendency toward heart disease. Environment A: Dan eats right, exercises, and doesn't drink or smoke. Environment B: Andy smokes heavily, drinks heavily, and eats mostly fast food. Even though both brothers have a predisposition to heart disease, Dan's lifestyle protects him from his own DNA, while Andy's habits may kill him. A Balanced View

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Heredity: Musical talent runs in the Sanchez family. Environment A: Bernita Sanchez took piano and voice lessons for years. Environment B: Angelica Sanchez preferred outdoor sports and never took music lessons. Both girls had music in their blood; because Bernita's environment fostered her musical talent, she's now an accomplished pianist. Angelica's environment did not, so now she can't carry a tune to save her life. A Balanced View

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Conclusions While a gene may increase the likelihood that you'll behave in a particular way, it does not make people do things. Which means that we still get to choose who we'll be when we grow up. So, was the way we behave engrained in us before we were born? Or has it developed over time in response to our experiences?

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