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Understanding Nature vs. Nurture Debate

The nature versus nurture debate seeks to determine whether genetics or environment has a greater influence on human development. Nativists believe that behaviors and characteristics are innate or naturally occurring, while empiricists believe they are learned through experience. Modern views acknowledge that both nature and nurture impact development, though their relative contributions remain debated in areas like the origins of homosexuality and influences on intelligence.

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231 views2 pages

Understanding Nature vs. Nurture Debate

The nature versus nurture debate seeks to determine whether genetics or environment has a greater influence on human development. Nativists believe that behaviors and characteristics are innate or naturally occurring, while empiricists believe they are learned through experience. Modern views acknowledge that both nature and nurture impact development, though their relative contributions remain debated in areas like the origins of homosexuality and influences on intelligence.

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© © All Rights Reserved
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What Is Nature Versus Nurture?

By Kendra Cherry
Which is more important in development: genetics or experience?
The nature versus nurture debate seeks to answer this important
question.
Definition:
The nature versus nurture debate is one of the oldest issues in
psychology. The debate centers on the relative contributions of
genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human
development.
Some philosophers such as Plato and Descartes suggested that
certain things are inborn, or that they simply occur naturally
regardless of environmental influences. People who take the
position that all or most behaviors and characteristics are the result
of inheritance are known as nativists. Other well-known thinkers
such as John Locke believed in what is known as tabula rasa,
which suggests that the mind begins as a blank slate. According to
this notion, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is
determined by our experience. People who take the position that all
or most behaviors and characteristics are the result of learning are
known as empiricists.

Examples of Nature Versus Nurture


For example, when a person achieves tremendous academic
success, did they do so because they are genetically predisposed to
be successful or is it a result of an enriched environment? If a man
abuses his wife and kids, is it because he was born with violent
tendencies or is it something he learned by observing his own
parents behavior?
A few examples of biologically determined characteristics (nature)
include certain genetic diseases, eye color, hair color, and skin
color. Other things like life expectancy and height have a strong
biological component, but they are also influenced by
environmental factors and lifestyle.
An example of a nativist theory within psychology is Chomsky's
concept of a language acquisition device (or LAD). According to
this theory, all children are born with an instinctive mental
capacity that allows them to both learn and produce language.
A number of characteristics are tied to environmental influences.
How a person behaves can be tied to influence such as parenting
styles and learned experiences. For example, a child might learn
through observation and reinforcement to say 'please' and 'thank
you.' Another child might learn to behave aggressively by
observing older children engage in violent behavior on the
playground.
One example of an empiricist theory within psychology is Albert
Bandura's social learning theory. According to theory, people learn
by observing the behavior of others.

Contemporary Views of Nature Versus Nurture


Today, the majority of experts believe that behavior and
development are influenced by both nature and nurture. However,
the issue still rages on in many areas such as in the debate on the
origins of homosexuality and influences on intelligence. While few
people take the extreme nativist or extreme empiricist approach,
researchers and experts still debate the degree to which biology
and environment influence behavior.
http://psychology.about.com/od/nindex/g/nature-nurture.htm

Retrieved on 3/14/14

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