Nature vs. Nurture

Objectives To differentiate between the terms nature and nurture To identify which human traits are considered genetically acquired and which are acquired through the environment To recognize the controversies involved in classifying traits as either nature or nurture To discern the importance of the interaction of genetics and the enviroment

Nature v. Nurture The debate of scientist and philosophers in looking at the role of biology in determining who we are as people.

Nature Heredity – plays a key role in both humans and animals. The traits we inherit will shape our behavior Heredity is vital to the transmission of physical traits, but also related to some psychological traits

People who support nature side Argue that people’s personality and traits are primarily determined by their biological make-up Our inherited characteristics determine the kind of people we are

Nurture Environment plays a key role in a person’s development Life experiences will shape our behavior Environment is vital both psychological and physical traits

People who support nurture Argue that the environment we live in and our every day experiences – not our biological make-up determine how we behave and think

Two extreme views Today most psychologist agree that both nature and nurture determine our psychological traits Biology influences us to act a certain way, but our environment modifies this behavior Still a very heated debate

Kinship Studies Common way to sort role heredity plays in determing behavior Identical twins share 100% of genes Parent/child share 50% Aunts&uncles with neices&nephews 25% 1st cousins 12.5%

Twin Studies The study of identical and fraternal twins is a useful way to learn about the relative influences of nature and nurture If identical twins are more similar on certain trait than fraternal twins the trait must be genetic

Adoptee studies Twins tend to be treated similarly and are exposed to the same environment To eliminate the effects of a common background is to study children that have been adopted and raised elsewhere

Twins Reared Apart Most useful type of kinship study Thomas Bouchard Major study began 1979 Found traits such as intelligence, traditionalism, risk avoidance, aggression, and leadership were all genetic

Define each term and describe the difference between the paired tems. Nature / nurture Genetics / environment Genetic / inherited