Nature Versus Nurture
Question 1
Discuss the nature versus nurture question.
What makes a person exhibit the tendencies that define his or her existence? Is it the natural chemical balances and imbalances that one is born with? Or could it be the way they breathe in the life around them engrained in their mind from those who care for them? In other words, does the fact that I was born with red hair increase my tendency towards a hot temper or is my level of temperament based upon the environment which I was raised in?
The age-old question regarding nature and nurture can be argued either way and has by countless learned and brilliant people. Some developmental psychologists believe it is strictly genes that affect our ways of life, while others believe it is the environment that influences us. Examples are aplenty supporting both sides, which we will discuss further.
The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual 's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism,) versus personal experiences ("nurture," i.e. empiricism or behaviorism) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. (Bee and Boyd, 2010, p.2and3). At the center of the debate, human behaviors, ideas, and feelings are being determined, whether they are learned or inherited. Determining physical traits, such as eye color, are simple because they are hereditary traits. The idea of having a certain personality, intelligence, or ability is under discussion because scientists can not determine if these traits are learned, or predetermined by genes.
The nature side of the debate argues that human behaviors are formed based on genetics, as well as, other internal variables that influence development. Some among those include maturation ( a consecutive pattern of genetic change which happens to every child regardless of the influence of their environment such as walking, p.5) ,sensitive periods (the best time when something can be done to enhance a child’s
Discuss the nature versus nurture question.
What makes a person exhibit the tendencies that define his or her existence? Is it the natural chemical balances and imbalances that one is born with? Or could it be the way they breathe in the life around them engrained in their mind from those who care for them? In other words, does the fact that I was born with red hair increase my tendency towards a hot temper or is my level of temperament based upon the environment which I was raised in?
The age-old question regarding nature and nurture can be argued either way and has by countless learned and brilliant people. Some developmental psychologists believe it is strictly genes that affect our ways of life, while others believe it is the environment that influences us. Examples are aplenty supporting both sides, which we will discuss further.
The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual 's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism,) versus personal experiences ("nurture," i.e. empiricism or behaviorism) in determining or causing individual differences in physical and behavioral traits. (Bee and Boyd, 2010, p.2and3). At the center of the debate, human behaviors, ideas, and feelings are being determined, whether they are learned or inherited. Determining physical traits, such as eye color, are simple because they are hereditary traits. The idea of having a certain personality, intelligence, or ability is under discussion because scientists can not determine if these traits are learned, or predetermined by genes.
The nature side of the debate argues that human behaviors are formed based on genetics, as well as, other internal variables that influence development. Some among those include maturation ( a consecutive pattern of genetic change which happens to every child regardless of the influence of their environment such as walking, p.5) ,sensitive periods (the best time when something can be done to enhance a child’s
References: Bee, H.,Boyd, D. (2010) The Developing Child, 12th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon