Nature vs. Nurture

Hair Color Health Gender Personality Physical Strength Eye Color

 In a large group, students will verbally define hereditary and environmentally affected characteristics and provide an example of each with 100% accuracy.  Given a worksheet students will be able to identify in writing the Nativism and Sociocultural Theories and the importance of twin studies with 90% accuracy.

 The passing of traits from parent to offspring through genes.  Almost all developmental characteristics are affected somewhat by genetics.  Examples: ◦ Eye color and hair color, ◦ temperaments: calm or irritable disposition, cautious or adventurous, cheerful or fearful

 The idea that the environment affects the characteristics of a person, traits are not all due to genetics.  Environment includes: ◦ Physical surroundings, culture and society  Example: ◦ Poor nutrition at a young age hampers brain development. ◦ Introverted or extroverted – some culture value children’s input others think children should listen and not talk.

 Heredity (Nature) ◦ Nativism Theory  behaviors are biologically built in. Some occur right away others, like walking, develop over time.  Some skills and knowledge, or the basic concepts that they start from, are built in at birth.  Environment (Nurture) ◦ Sociocultural Theory  Social interaction and cultural background direct development.  Parent, teacher, friends pass culturally accepted ideas and practices that a person adopt as their own.

 Scientists can study how big a role genes actually play in a person’s physical and mental characteristics.  As shown, even identical twins differ in characteristics affected largely by genetics.  Proof that both heredity and environment impact a person’s characteristics

 Nature vs. Nurture is an ongoing debate. ◦ Most research suggests that heredity and environment interact with each other, making it impossible to distinguish their effects without one or the other.

 Hereditary ◦ No single IQ gene. ◦ Can inherit characteristics that affect intellectual abilities.  Environment ◦ Poor nutrition or alcohol abuse during pregnancy lowers IQ scores. ◦ Moving children from impoverished home to a more nurturing one increases IQ.

 Because of genetic tendencies and environmental surroundings, each student favors a slightly different environment to learn best.  Different teaching strategies and methods are needed to compensate for this. ◦ One student may be visual and another a tactile learner, stemming from the influence of both genetics and environment.

◦ Intelligence is affected by both heredity and environment.  children learn differently because of intelligence levels that are affected heredity and environment. ◦ Nativism Theory supports heredity. ◦ Sociocultural Theory supports environment. ◦ Twin studies help scientists observe how environment effects peoples characteristics.