Nature and Nurture PDF

Nature can be loosely defined as genetic inheritance or the genetic make up (the information
encoded in your genes) which a person inherits from both parents at the time of conception and
carries throughout life. Several things in an individual are genetically inherited, ranging from
gender, eye colour, risks for certain diseases and exceptional talents to height. The concept of
nature thus refers to biologically inherited tendencies and abilities that people have and which
may get revealed later on as they grow up. In contrast, nurture can be defined as the different
environmental factors to which a person is subjected from birth to death.Environmental factors
involve many dimensions. They include both physical environments( a good example is prenatal
nutrition) and social environments( such as neighbourhood, media and peer pressure) .
Environmental factors have different levels of impact on human development as they involve
multiple layers of action, ranging from most immediate (families, friends, and neighbourhood )as
well as macro factors such as politics on the international level or say global warming. The
importance for the study of personality concerns the extent to which it is the result of nature or
nurture. If nature is more important, then our personalities will form early in our lives and will be
difficult to change later. If nurture is more important, however, then our experiences are likely to
be particularly important, and we may be able to flexibly alter our personalities over time.
Behaviorism, established by John Watson, is the theory that all behavior is a result of
stimulation from the environment or a consequence of the individual’s previous conditioning.
Behaviorism is a school of psychology that is on the side of nurture.
A study in 2019 performed an experiment on Bonobos (a species of chimpanzee) to observe
social learning. The results of the experiment found supporting evidence that Bonobos are able
to learn from observing others of their species just like humans.
Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory states that people learn by observing, imitating, and
modeling behavior. In 1961, Bandura’s famous Bobo doll experiment’s findings supported the
argument for nurture in that our environment influences our behavior.
Two decades of research make it increasingly clear that both nature and nurture always play a
role—that is, the extent to which genetic factors affect behavior depends on the social
environment in which people live, work, and play.
Two recent studies show how individuals’ genes and their social environment interact to
influence health and behavior, such as smoking, the friends they choose, and how much
education they pursue.
A recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looks at new research
on the roles of genes and the environment, focusing on whether an adolescent’s social and
school networks had any influence on their height, weight, or educational attainment.
Undoubtedly, nurture plays a very big role in early human development .Nurture in some way or
another speeds up an individual's capacity to study and learn new things. There is the common
saying that "practice makes perfect". Therefore, an individual can improve knowledge by
practicing to adapt to all creations in these circumstances or environment.
In conclusion, it is evident that nature is responsible for producing healthy, well developed
babies. It is also nurture that plays an important role in the early stage of human development.
Research has concluded beyond doubt that early human development is quicker and more
focused due to nurture as it builds up on the talents provided by nature.
Nature is responsible for the normal development of the fetus into a normal and healthy infant,
but it cannot entirely develop that fetus into an intelligent , knowledgeable or athletic adult. This
is possible only through the exposure that nurture gives a person. Therefore, it would be correct
to say that although nature has some degree of influence, nurture strongly influences early
human development.

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Nature can be loosely defined as genetic inheritance or the genetic make up (the information

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