Nature vs. Nurture Essay - 2448 Words

Nature vs. Nurture The dubious history of the heredity environment controversy can be easily traced as far back as the start of the present century with at least some historical evidence placing the roots of this dispute in the time of John Locke. This controversy has continued despite continual reiteration that the critical question is not how much of a trait is due to heredity and how much is due to environment, but rather how environment transact to influence development.† ( Wachs , 1983, p. 386). This paper will focus on the nature/nurture controversy and the extent to which an individuals intellectual level is determined either by inborn intelligence or by environmental factors. The relative powers of nature and nurture have been†¦show more content†¦Among these elements are some of the most relevant issues pertaining to this subject including: twin, adoption, family, orphanage life, IQ, and race studies. It is to these studies we will now turn our attention. TWIN STUDIES The importance of twin studies is evident if we look at the studies objectively, if intelligence is basically hereditary, identical twins who have the same genetic legacy, should be concordant for that trait than are fraternal twins, which are no more alike genetically than other siblings. Burts (1958) famous study show that the intelligence test scores of identical twins, whether reared together or apart , display considerably higher correlation than the scores of fraternal twins. Burts work is currently viewed with caution due to the manner in which he gathered and interpreted his data (Vernon, 1979). However, Burts research provides an important foundation for this research. Jones study (1946) shows that there is a modest difference in the intelligence test scores of twins reared apart, and the more divergent the environments, the greater the difference. â€Å"While environmental factors are important in raising or lowering a childs level of intellectual performance, these studies demonstrate that they only do so within limits set by heredity.† (Mussen, Conger, and Kagon, 1963 p.52) The Louisville Twin Study (Wilson, 1983) showed that environmental considerations such as characteristics of home and theShow MoreRelatedNature vs. nurture Essay1322 Words   |  6 PagesNature vs. Nurture It is a matter of concern whether human behaviors and characteristics are determined by nature or nurture. If a person’s behavior is inherited directly from the genes of his/her parents or other biological factors, then it is the nature that determines his character. 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I will discuss the difference between nature and nurture and then I’ll apply to each of these philosophers and how they react to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When looked up in the dictionary the term nature means the universe and its phenomena or one’s own character and temperamentRead More Nature vs Nurture Essay778 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs Nurture Most of us have an intuition that, although our genes provide advantages and constraints, we retain great control over our lives. However, we are developing a second, competing intuition that, like it or not, our genes determine our abilities, our preferences, and our emotions. We would like to think we are much more than the sum of our genes, but scientists have apparently demonstrated that our genes determine some of our most complex behavioral and cognitive characteristicsRead MoreEssay on Nature vs Nurture1052 Words   |  5 PagesNature vs. Nurture M. B. Liberty University Psychology 101 Nature vs. Nurture There has been extensive debate between scholars in the field of psychology surrounding the Nature vs. Nurture issue. Both nature and nurture determine who we are and neither is solely independent of the other. â€Å"As the area of a rectangle is determined by its length and its width, so do biology and experience together create us.†(Myers, 2008, p. 8) Carl Gustav Jung, and leading thinker and creator of analytical