Psych 101 Paper on Nature vs Nurture Essay Example
Nature vs Nurture
Running head: NATURE AND NURTURE
Nature and Nurture
James Wheeler
Empire State College Nature and Nurture Nature vs. Nurture is a very long standing debate that has provided researchers with years of work and will continue to do so far into the future. While both sides of this argument have produced significant volumes of research and data on the subject to support their own individual theorems, I must take the standpoint that both Nature and Nurture provide significantly (if not equally) to the growth and development of the personality of an individual. In his opinion article, Nature vs. Nurture: the Pendulum Still Swings With Plenty of Momentum, Joseph E. LeDoux states that “the nature/nurture debate operates around a false dichotomy: the assumption that biology, on one hand, and lived experience, on the other, affect us in fundamentally different ways” (LeDoux), is, I feel, one of the most informed statements on the subject that I am able to find. Modern Neuroscience has shown that both nature and nurture affect the brain in much the same way, “Both achieve their affects by altering the synaptic organization of the brain” (LeDoux). Nature is seen as the physical traits and possibly the behavioral traits that are passed from generation to generation through genes. According to Newman and Newman, “Some characteristics are controlled by a single gene. However, most significant characteristics, such as height, weight, blood group, skin color, and intelligence are guided by the combined action of several genes” (96). They also go on to explain that when a characteristic comes from multiple sources, the chances of individual differences increase. Therefore, the variety of phenotypes is astronomical. Just because your father is the president of the United States, doesn’t mean you will be too because you have his genes. I agree that there are some traits that are passed on through genes and there are some
Running head: NATURE AND NURTURE
Nature and Nurture
James Wheeler
Empire State College Nature and Nurture Nature vs. Nurture is a very long standing debate that has provided researchers with years of work and will continue to do so far into the future. While both sides of this argument have produced significant volumes of research and data on the subject to support their own individual theorems, I must take the standpoint that both Nature and Nurture provide significantly (if not equally) to the growth and development of the personality of an individual. In his opinion article, Nature vs. Nurture: the Pendulum Still Swings With Plenty of Momentum, Joseph E. LeDoux states that “the nature/nurture debate operates around a false dichotomy: the assumption that biology, on one hand, and lived experience, on the other, affect us in fundamentally different ways” (LeDoux), is, I feel, one of the most informed statements on the subject that I am able to find. Modern Neuroscience has shown that both nature and nurture affect the brain in much the same way, “Both achieve their affects by altering the synaptic organization of the brain” (LeDoux). Nature is seen as the physical traits and possibly the behavioral traits that are passed from generation to generation through genes. According to Newman and Newman, “Some characteristics are controlled by a single gene. However, most significant characteristics, such as height, weight, blood group, skin color, and intelligence are guided by the combined action of several genes” (96). They also go on to explain that when a characteristic comes from multiple sources, the chances of individual differences increase. Therefore, the variety of phenotypes is astronomical. Just because your father is the president of the United States, doesn’t mean you will be too because you have his genes. I agree that there are some traits that are passed on through genes and there are some