Nature and Nuture Essay - 713 Words

The question is this: How can we distinguish between the environmental causes of behavior and heredity causes? This question embodies the nature-nurture issue. John B. Watson argued that each is made, not born. He discounted the importance of heredity, maintaining that behavior is managed entirely by the environment. Indeed he boldly claimed: Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own special world to bring them up in and Ill guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors. I am going beyond my facts†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, the work of behavioral geneticists and the theories of evolutionary psychologists have influenced developmental psychologists. Both behavioral geneticists and evolutionary psychologists have highlighted the importance of heredity in influencing human behavior. Clearly, the relationship between heredity and environment is far from simple. As a consequence, developmental psychologists typically take an interactionist position on the nature-nurture issue, suggesting that a combination of heredity and environmental factors influence development. Developmental psychologists face the challenge of identifying the relative strength of each of these influences on the individual, as well as that of identifying the specific changes that occur over the course of development. Developmental psychologists use several approaches to determine the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on behavior. In one approach, researchers can experimentally control the genetic makeup of laboratory animals by carefully breeding them for specific traits. Although researchers must be careful when generalizing the findings of nonhuman research to a human population, findings from animal research provide important information that cannot be obtained by using human participants. Human twins serve as anotherShow MoreRelatedNature vs Nuture2099 Words   |  9 PagesPRINCIPLES OF FINANCE PRACTICE TEST 1 1. Finance can be defined as A. the system of debits and credits. B. the science of the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth. C. the art and science of managing money. D. the art of merchandising products and services. 2. Managerial finance A. involves tasks such as budgeting, financial forecasting, cash management, and funds procurement. B. involves the design and delivery of advice and financial products. C. recognizes funds on anRead MoreEssay about Causes of Homosexuality - Nature AND Nuture564 Words   |  3 Pages Many people cannot understand why anyone would want to get involved in homosexual activity. There are many arguments about homosexuality whether is by nature or nurture. Before we make judgments on homosexuality, we need to identify the causes of homosexuality. Homosexuality is caused by genetic, biological and environmental factors. The first possible cause of homosexuality is genetic factors. Homosexuality is a trait from birth (Buchanan, 2000). Studies found that identical twins share manyRead MoreThe Theories About What Forms A Person Into Being Who They Are1069 Words   |  5 PagesNature and nuture are two contrasting psychological theories about what forms a person into being who they are. The difference between Nature and Nurture has been argued for countless years by psychologists, and yet neither theory has ever been fully endorsed by the majority of psychologists. Some psychologists believe in nature, that is that you are born the way you are because you inherit those traits from your parents and genes. Others believe in the nuture theory, where you become the personRead MoreNature vs Nurture, a Not Quite a Twin1684 Words   |  7 PagesNature vs Nurture A Not Quite Twin Study Tamara Richardson Seminole State College of Florida Abstract This paper is going to discuss the Nature vs Nurture debate. There will be history of the debate, where it is presently and where it may go in the future. We will look at the beginning of the debate, the battle that started with Descartes and was pushed further by BF Skinner, Bandura and Piaget. We will further look at Bandura and Piaget and look at Social learning theory verses biology. InterviewsRead MoreLife Span Perspective Paper746 Words   |  3 Pagesinto the adult world. During the life span development two contemporary concerns that are related are nature versus nurture and continuity and discontinuity. Changes in humans have been researched through centuries in trying to understand forces that drive humans inside and out. Nature and Nurture are known to be contributions and experimental factors (McGraw-Hill, 2004). Believers of nature are believed that children are born with certain behaviors that are innate. These patterns can be a resultRead MoreEssay on Sensory Perceptions882 Words   |  4 Pagesthe long run as additional data is obtained that helps to refine the initial interpretation of the data. The roles of â€Å"Nature† and â€Å"Nurtured† with regard to the interpretation and evaluation of sensory data has been disputed by scholars for centuries. Some believe that we are born with information inherited from our parents and that we are not born with a clean slate (nature). Some believe that all information in the brain is obtained over time (nurtured). In either case, sensory data is obtainedRead MoreImportant Aspects Of A Functioning Classroom904 Words   |  4 Pagescould be accorporated much more in the classroom. John Dewey, Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, and Lev Vygotsky all understood the way children think and the importance of imaginative play. They also understood that children need to be active in nature. Also, we have discussed different forms of learning, such as project based learning, and outdoor classrooms. In my opinion, the education system should have minor changes that benefit the students more. Despite the various flaws, schools are extremelyRead More Human Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Essay920 Words   |  4 PagesHuman Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the relationship of external apperence and internal feelings are directly related. The creature is created and he is innocent, though he is seaverly deformed. His nature is to be good and kind, but society only views his external appereance which is grotesque. Human nature is to judge by external apperence. He is automatically ostracized and labeled as a monster because of his external apperence. HeRead MoreWho is the Villain in the Frankenstein? Essay714 Words   |  3 Pagesmonster) to be a kind, caring and loving creature, the way the villagers treated him and turned away in disgust when they saw the monster, was the reason that the monster became evil. The main themes in Frankenstein are the themes of Nature versus Nuture, in which we find out that the monster was not intentionally villainous and that it was the way that the villagers treated the monster that he became evil and bad-tempered. Another one of the main themes is Science versus religion. This isRead MoreGay Teens: Accepting the Unaccepted1199 Words   |  5 Pagesorientation is not a mental disorder. A persons sexual orientation is not a matter of choice. Individuals have no more choice about being homosexual or bisexual than heterosexual. Many people are arguing that it has to do with the whole nature vs. nuture debate. The nature side argues that homosexuals have different hormonal mechanisms, gene type, or brain structure. The nurture side argues that the environment writes on the developing child like someone writing on a blank piece of paper. As many potential