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The effect genetics and environmental influence have on intelligence
Debates on nature vs nurture
The effect genetics and environmental influence have on intelligence
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Outline
Thesis: At the moment, there is no definitive answer to the question of nature vs. nurture, there is, however, compelling evidence that the theory of Nature via. Nurture could be the solution.
I. Introduction
A. Nature versus Nurture
II. Nature vs. Nurture
A. Nature: Genetic Factors
1. Nature Defined
2. Genes Defined
3. Human Genome Project
B. Nurture: Environmental Factors
1. Nurture Defined
2. Biological and Social Environment
C. Behavioral Genetics
III. Twins
A. Twins Defined
B. Types of Twins
1. Identical Twins
2. Fraternal Twins
C. Twin Studies
1. Definition and Validity
2. The Skeptics of Twin Studies and Their Concerns
3. Minnesota Twin Study of Twins Reared Apart
4. Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA)
5. Nonshared Environment in Adolescent Development (NEAD)
D. Twin Stories
1. Jim Twins
2. Beth and Amy
3. Harold and Bernard Shapiro
4. Judith and Julie Swain
5. Charlie and Bill Duke
IV. Nature via Nurture
V. Heritability
A. Definition
B. Personality
C. Intelligence
D. Toxic Environment
E. Disease and Mental Illness
VI. Political and Social Ramifications
A. Biological Determinism
VII. Conclusion
An Introduction to Nature vs. Nurture and the Developing Theory of Nature via Nurture
Are we exclusively the creation of nature or the reflection of nurture? The first attempt to study nature and nurture was published by Sir Francis Galton in 1865. (Plomin, 2004) Galton wanted to know how to measure intelligence, what the components were and the degree to which it was inherited. (Santrock, 2004) He would be the first of many researchers to question the role of heredity. The first twin and adoption studies were published in 1924 by Sophie Van Senden Theis. (Plomin, ...
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...nce on life events during the last half of the life span. Psychology and Aging. 5(1), 25-30.
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Ridley, M. (2003). What makes you who you are. Time. 161(22), 54-60.
Santrock, J.W. (2004). Child development. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.
Segal, N. L. (1999). Entwined lives: Twins and what they tell us about human behavior. New York: Dutton
Segal, N. L. (1999). New twin studies show: The career of your dreams may be the career of your genes. Psychology Today, 32(5), 54-8.
Wright, L. (1997). Twins and what they tell us about who we are. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Wyatt, J. W. (1993). Identical Twins, Emergenesis, and Environments. American Psychologist. 1294-1295.
Have you ever heard that twins could have completely different personalities, they could be friends, siblings, or possibly even enemies. Author Eric Wright creates a story about a writer who specializes in writing
On October 9, 1968, a set of twins were born, but separated at birth and ultimately, put up for adoption. The decision to separate the twins came from the adoption agency who wanted to conduct a nature versus nurture experiment; however, the experiment was conducted in secret. However, for unknown reasons, the experiment never developed to fruition. Unaware the child they adopted was a twin; both sets of parents raised a singular child. Thirty-five years later, one twin began a search for her biological mother through the adoption agency, only to find out that she was born a twin. Upon learning her identity, she reached out to her twin and they began the journey of getting to know one another by comparing characteristics that appeared similar such as temperament and mannerism. They even discovered that they both held positions as a film critic and enjoyed almost identical movies.
It is true that identical twins have many similarities, but people tend to ignore their differences. The Jim twins, for example, may
“The term “nature versus nurture” is used to refer to a long-running scientific debate. The source of debate is the question of which has a greater influence on development: someone's innate characteristics provided by genetics, or someone's environment. In fact, the nature versus nurture debate has been largely termed obsolete by many researchers, because both innate characteristics and environment play a huge role in development, and they often intersect”. (Smith, 2010 p. 1)
Dr. Eileen Pearlman says that “The separation and individuation process begins early in life, and for some twins it takes longer than others as not only do twins need to learn to separate and individuate from their mothers but they also have to learn to separate and individuate from each other.” The constant comparison from individuals looking into their life can make this harder for twins. People need to understand that with being a twin there are advantages but also disadvantages. People and even family members of twins can fail to realize this. The figment of people's imagination is that twins get along, have similar tastes, and are the exactly alike, almost the same
A common dispute that has left people speechless for years is the debate between nature and nurture. Are humans influenced by their environments or their genetic make-up? This theory has not gone unnoticed while many theorists attempt to sway the opinions of their audience. Nature is comprised of our genetic and biological components that make us who we are while nurture is founded on the principle that humans are influenced by experience. I believe nature and nurture fall on a spectrum. Within the spectrum environmental, cultural, and genetic influences comprise a person’s unique
In a study conducted in 1983, researchers studied more than 350 pairs of twins in order to research if human personality traits were largely inherited or learned. Daniel Goleman, author of “Major Personality Study Finds that Traits are Mostly Inherited,” shares with his audience the parameters and results of this elaborate twin study. Goleman introduces his reader to Auke Tellegen, a psychologist and principal researcher on the long-term study, performed at the University of Minnesota, discovered that the human traits most strongly determined by heredity were leadership, obedience to authority, and even traditionalism. He would surely argue that heredity, more than influence of experience, is more responsible for development in human traits. Tellegen may have substantiating facts that nature is more predominant in a mere handful of traits, but what about the several other traits he failed to test? It is possible for a person who shows leadership and obedience during one part of their life to have an experience in which their obedience and leadership is thwarted. The study Tellegen conducted could not have been without environmental influence. Every single one of the participants, whether a twin or not, had environmental experiences separate from the others. Since every person experiences and responds to environmental stimuli differently, how can several prior years of experience be measured in order to present an unbiased result in this study? Unquestionably, it is impossible. Just as this particular study failed to take into consideration a persons’ prior experiences, it also failed to consider the probability of future environmental factors that could affect the traits Tellegen focused on in his study. Although difficu...
"Nature Plus Nurture." Read "" by Begley, Sharon. N.p., 13 Nov. 1995. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
The nature and nurture debate has been studied for many years. Years ago many people thought that human behavior was “instinctive, simply our nature” (Macionis, 2008). Are people born with a predetermined plot of what their life will hold? Many researchers have done numerous studies that have proven that human behavior comes from how a person was nurtured after birth. Biology and nature mean the same thing, and we are biologically programmed at birth to do certain things. For example, at birth a person’s heart beats on its own, and a baby knows how to suck instantly. This shows the nature side of humans. How a child was nurtured at birth has a direct bearing on his or her future.
...rities and the same preferences. They also felt an immediate bond upon meeting. Jim Springer and Jim Lewis are twins who were separated four weeks after they were born in 1939, and they were reunited thirty-nine years later. The twins discovered that they had married and divorced women named Linda, married second wives named Betty, and named their first sons James Allan and James Alan, respectively. They both drove the same model of blue Chevrolet, and they both enjoyed the same hobby. They often vacationed on the same small beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, and owned dogs named Toy (Heredity 62). There have been many cases reported similar to this one, such as where twins were separated at birth and when reunited, found that they had astounding similarities between the two. By studying twins who were reared apart, scientists are learning how the forces of nature and nurture interact to make us what we are (Chensanow 69).
“I almost had a boyfriend, once. Elly would have let me. She thought it was O.K She shut down whenever I talked to him. Whenever he came around, shed cut her voltage way back and stayed quiet. She wanted me to go ahead and love” (Dunn 280). This is just part of the entangled life of conjoined twins Katherine Dunn describes in her novel Geek Love. Conjoined twins live every second of their lives as one, which immediately raises question about not just intimacy, but more centrally identity and personhood. Most importantly for thought for the life of conjoined twins is the argument around separation. Current science and mainstream thinking categorizes conjoined twins as their own individuals, because primarily their separate cognitive abilities,
Segal, Nancy L. Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us about Human Behavior. New York: Dutton, 1999. Print.
Undoubtedly, humans are unique and intricate creatures and their development is a complex process. It is this process that leads people to question, is a child’s development influenced by genetics or their environment? This long debate has been at the forefront of psychology for countless decades now and is better known as “Nature versus Nurture”. The continuous controversy over whether or not children develop their psychological attributes based on genetics (nature) or the way in which they have been raised (nurture) has occupied the minds of psychologists for years. Through thorough reading of experiments, studies, and discussions however, it is easy to be convinced that nurture does play a far more important in the development of a human than nature.
Several people are considerably fascinated with twins, but don't quite comprehend exactly what it is like to be one. Actually, being a twin really isn't that different than not being a twin. (Or at least I don't think it is. The truth is that I have never not been one.) I believe, however, there is one advantage to being an identical twin. Identical twins are basically made up of the same ingredients. There is a connection that exists right from birth. In our case, Janae and I have found that we enjoy the same books, the same sports, the same food, we love the rain, and lastly our taste in guys is nearly the same.
Developmental Psychology is an area which studies how we as humans change over the period of our life span. The majority of the focus is broken into three categories: cognitive, physical and social change. The creation of who we are today comes down to the everlasting debate of nature versus nurture. This ongoing debate of what makes us who we are and which one is the driving force in development may be so simple that it’s complex. Rather than it being a conflict of nature “versus” nurture, it is very well possible both play an equal part in the development of us as humans. In the beginning, we start off as single cell in the form of a zygote. In that moment, where the DNA begin to form and the first seconds of life take place, the zygote is already experiencing interaction with the womb. In the process of determining why we are who are it is better to look more at the interactions of nature and nurture, analyzing how both have shaped us.