Nature Vs Nurture Research Paper
The Problem of Nature and Nurture in Psychology
How we see the influences of genetics and environment on behavior
Abstract
This paper defines the nature versus nurture problem in psychology, and explains why this problem is important in the science of psychology. It then gives the authors opinion of environment and nature as being the more influential, and why the author believes this. The paper gives examples of this opinion from outside sources. The paper concludes with the authors remarks about the importance of using skepticism when studying the nature/nurture problem and when approach psychological science in general. The paper cites sources …show more content…
Or why others seem so natural and “gifted” at something, while we struggle endlessly, with disappointing results. When we do this, we have engaged in a debate that has perplexed many of the top thinkers for thousands of years, and continues to even now. The “nature versus nurture” problem in psychology hinges on two seemingly polar opposites. Is human development more influenced by genetic inheritance, or by the environment? In very simple language, does what we are born with determine who we are, or is it the influence of environment that surrounds us?
Though this question has been around for centuries, the phrase “nature and nurture” is credited to Francis Galton, who, in 1874 wrote: “The phrase ‘nature and nurture’ is a convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed. Nature is all that a man brings with him into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth”. (Hunt, 1993, page …show more content…
Learning languages is a good example of this. Although we are each born with the capacity to speak, it is through our environment that we actually learn to speak a specific language. Jean Mercer, in her blog That old nature-nurture question, states “(t)he language you speak is a matter of environment, although of course the fact that you have the capacity to speak at all has strong genetic factors determining it.” (Mercer, J. 2010). I have seen this in my own life. I took several Spanish classes at FRCC, yet it was only by travelling to Costa Rica on two different occasions that I really felt I was learning the language. Interacting with native Spanish speakers, hearing their accents, their sentence structure, and the words they chose increased my ability to internalize their language more effectively. Though there are many examples like those I have given, it is always important to maintain skepticism when approaching the nature vs. nurture problem, or any psychological ascertain. Skepticism keeps us “on our toes”, and flexible to learn. It is very easy to fall into the habit of looking at theories (or for theories) that agree with our own opinions. Skepticism nudges us out of this comfortable place, and challenges us to dig deeper into the dialogue of
How we see the influences of genetics and environment on behavior
Abstract
This paper defines the nature versus nurture problem in psychology, and explains why this problem is important in the science of psychology. It then gives the authors opinion of environment and nature as being the more influential, and why the author believes this. The paper gives examples of this opinion from outside sources. The paper concludes with the authors remarks about the importance of using skepticism when studying the nature/nurture problem and when approach psychological science in general. The paper cites sources …show more content…
Or why others seem so natural and “gifted” at something, while we struggle endlessly, with disappointing results. When we do this, we have engaged in a debate that has perplexed many of the top thinkers for thousands of years, and continues to even now. The “nature versus nurture” problem in psychology hinges on two seemingly polar opposites. Is human development more influenced by genetic inheritance, or by the environment? In very simple language, does what we are born with determine who we are, or is it the influence of environment that surrounds us?
Though this question has been around for centuries, the phrase “nature and nurture” is credited to Francis Galton, who, in 1874 wrote: “The phrase ‘nature and nurture’ is a convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed. Nature is all that a man brings with him into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth”. (Hunt, 1993, page …show more content…
Learning languages is a good example of this. Although we are each born with the capacity to speak, it is through our environment that we actually learn to speak a specific language. Jean Mercer, in her blog That old nature-nurture question, states “(t)he language you speak is a matter of environment, although of course the fact that you have the capacity to speak at all has strong genetic factors determining it.” (Mercer, J. 2010). I have seen this in my own life. I took several Spanish classes at FRCC, yet it was only by travelling to Costa Rica on two different occasions that I really felt I was learning the language. Interacting with native Spanish speakers, hearing their accents, their sentence structure, and the words they chose increased my ability to internalize their language more effectively. Though there are many examples like those I have given, it is always important to maintain skepticism when approaching the nature vs. nurture problem, or any psychological ascertain. Skepticism keeps us “on our toes”, and flexible to learn. It is very easy to fall into the habit of looking at theories (or for theories) that agree with our own opinions. Skepticism nudges us out of this comfortable place, and challenges us to dig deeper into the dialogue of