More handpicked essays just for you.
Intelligence environment and heredity
Intelligence environment and heredity
Introduction heredity and environment in determining intelligence
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The evidence for genetic contribution to individual intelligence are (1) Family studies indicate that intelligence occurs in families, (2) Twin studies illustrate a greater link within identical twins in IQ than between non-identical, or fraternal , twins. This is true even when identical twins raised apart are contrasted with fraternal twins reared together. (3) Adoption studies suggest that adopted children are slightly comparable to their biological parents in intelligence.
The focus here is on differences and similarities and the extent in which they are created by genetic effects, in contrast to environmental influences. Because family components are genetically similar, traits found within that family can be reasonably designated as having a genetic basis, or a reasonably substantial genetic influence. Though there is no known single gene that has been conclusively linked to intelligence, and it is likely that a combination of genetic factors is at work here, it is widely agreed that “g” (or general intelligence) runs in families. This is not the same as Intelligence Quotient, but it is roughly comparable. There are many studies that have found this, and observations provide support for this, too.
Identical twins have precisely the same genes, while non-identical twins share roughly half their genes, as do siblings as a whole. Another aspect of twins that makes them an ideal choice for research is that they are reared in much the same environment as each other. If a certain element is the same in identical twins, but not in fraternal twins, then there is a good chance it's the genes that are working on that feature.
Twin studies show the following: first degree relatives are likely to have "g" correlation of about 0.4 ...
... middle of paper ...
...etworks of synaptic connections in certain brain areas than do rats in sterile environments. Early enrichment programs, such as Head Start, should abet mental growth.
Works Cited
Bernstein, Douglas A. etal (2010) Psychology
Myers, David G. (2010) Psychology
Pyle, William Henry. (2010) The Science of Human Nature kindle edition
Straub, Richard O., (2007) Study Guide to Accompany David G. Myers Psychology
Sternber, Richard J. (2010) Encyclopedia Britannica article “Human Intelligence”
White, J. Nolan and Ciccarelli, Sandra (2009) Introduction to Psychology
Heredity Versus Environment - The Nature-nurture Controversy, Exploring Heredity And Environment: Research Methods, Beyond Heritability
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p66&continuous=1
Van Den Berg, S. M. and Others. 2012. Genetic analysis of rare disorders: bayesian estimation of twin concordance rates. Behavior genetics, 42 (5), pp. 857-865.
General intelligence tends to relate to various degrees with each other (Cohen 2012). An example of this is that if an individual is good in math, they may also be good in spelling. In this weeks reading we reviewed several different models of measurement of intelligence. In regard to these theories and general intelligence (g), the theories are various but have commonality and overlap. The Spearman's two-factor theory is if a test has high correlation with other test than the measurement of g is highly saturated (Cohen, 2012). The greater the importance of g on a test, the better the test is believed to predict intelligence
The nature vs. nurture debate: the nature side, are those such as biologists, psychologists and others in the natural sciences, argue that behavioral traits can be explained by genetics. Those taking the nurture side are sociologists and others in the social sciences, they argue that human behavior is learned and shaped through social interaction. This argument should be dismissed because you don’t have to look far to see that both genetics and our environment, plays a role in who we are and our behaviors. (Glass). The point is there is a complex relationship between nature and nurture, either one alone is insufficient to explain what makes us human. (Colt). Our heredity gives us a basic potential,...
Loehlin, John C., Lindzey Gardner, and J.N. Spuhler. Race Differences in Intelligence. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1975.
“The term “nature versus nurture” is used to refer to a long-running scientific debate. The source of debate is the question of which has a greater influence on development: someone's innate characteristics provided by genetics, or someone's environment. In fact, the nature versus nurture debate has been largely termed obsolete by many researchers, because both innate characteristics and environment play a huge role in development, and they often intersect”. (Smith, 2010 p. 1)
interpreted as being caused by genetic or environmental differences among groups? A strong promoter of the belief that there is undoubtedly a racial difference in intelligence is Phillippe Rushton. As a professor of psychology, he argues that there is irrefutable scientific evidence of difference...
Finkel, D. (1995). Heritability of cognitive abilities in adult twins: Comparison of Minnesota and Swedish data. Behavior Genetics, 25, 421-432.
Genetics play an important part in the development of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The most common of the two types of diabetes is type 2. Type 2 diabetes is being observed in the younger generation. It has becoming increasingly common in younger children, but the genes that are responsible for causing it are scarcely defined.("Genetic Factors in Type 2 Diabetes") What we do have well knowledge of is that the disease is a result of one gene mutating. In type 2 diabetes many genes are said to be involved in the developing of the disease, we just are not sure which gene it is that is being mutated.(1,4) However, the risk of having the disease is affected by your siblings or parents having it. Immediate relatives to individuals with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk of getting the condition rather than a person with no relative with diabetes. If the mother of the father has diabetes then the grandchild has a fifteen percent risk of having type 2 diabetes, but if both the father and the mother of the offspring have diabetes then the offspring's risk would increase by seventy-five percent chance of being affected with the condition. On the other hand, if the offspring were to have a sibling that was a non-identical twin with diabetes it would have a ten percent chance of being affected, but if it had an identical twin the risk would increase by ninety percent. Type 2 diabetes is known to run in families, but as to how it is inherited is not really specified. Scientists think that some environmental factors act as accelerators to diabetes, increasing the development. Some genes, known as susceptibility genes increases the risk of developing diabetes to individuals that carry the genes. ("Diabetes and Genetics") A way to find this gen...
On the ‘nature’ side of the debate is the psychometric approach, considered to be the most dominant in the study of intelligence, which “inspired the most research and attracted the most attention” (Neisser et al. 1996, p. 77). It argues that there is one general (‘g’) factor which accounts for intelligence. In the 1880s, Francis Galton conducted many tests (measuring reaction times to cognitive tasks), (Boundless 2013), in order to scientifically measure intelligence. These tests were linked to the eugenic breeding programme, which aimed to eliminate biologically inferior people from society. Galton believed that as intelligence was inherited, social class or position were significant indicators of intelligence. If an individual was of high social standing, they would be more intelligent than those of a lower position. However he failed to show any consistency across the tests for this hypothesis, weakening his theory that social class correlated with intelligence. Nevertheless, his creation of the intelligence test led many to continue to develop...
There are countless studies on whether intelligence is an inherited trait or if it is influenced by environmental factors. A study was conducted with adopted children and non-adopted children to see if a conclusion can be made based on the influence of hereditary and environmental intellectual variation (Leahy). The study was conducted with strict standards to make it valid. For example, the adopted children that were studied were young; they also were brought up in similar backgrounds as the control children. Parents’ occupation was also similar, as this would affect the results if the parents had varying occupations (Leahy). The results from this study showed that:
In 1874, Francis Galton said, “Nature is all that a man brings with him into the world; nurture is every influence that affects him after his birth”. The human body contains millions upon millions of cells and each of these cells contains hereditary information and DNA. However, there is no proof that the information carried in these genes predetermines the way in which we behave. I believe it is our life experiences and what we see and are told that shape the way in which we behave. Therefore, it appears to me that nurturing plays a far more governing and dominant role in a human being’s development rather than nature.
This is an essay about the different theories of intelligence; it will discuss which theory is best at determining intelligence in my opinion. The information provided will help describe the pros and cons of each of the theories being used to define intelligence, explain why is it important to assess children’s intelligence, and discuss the type of intelligence I possess. The different theories of intelligence are complex and understanding the elements of each can help an individual choose the one that they believe is the best for determining intelligence. Comparing the positive and the negative elements of each theory of intelligence will allow an individual to see both sides of the theory and the flaws that may be twisted
Heredity Versus Environment - The Nature-nurture Controversy, Exploring Heredity And Environment: Research Methods, Beyond Heritability
Professor Bigot argues that intelligence is only influenced by nature, meaning it is entirely based in genetics, and that one's environment or surroundings can't influence it. However, Dr. Bigot's argument does have some truth to it. With the purpose of investigating the role of genetics in intelligence, researchers have approached twin studies. According to Bouchard and McGue (1981), the closer the biological relationship, the higher the IQ correlation is. This idea was the result of a meta-analysis of 111 studies of IQ correlations between siblings from research studies on intelligence. The Minnesota Twin Study (Bouchard et al. 1990) studies identical twins raised together and identical twins raised apart. Bouchard et al (1990) concluded that 70% of intelligence is associated to genetic inheritance. Therefore, 30% of intelligence may be attributed to other factors. Although the Minnesota Twin Study has been one of the most impressive twin studies carried out, there are several criticisms that test its validity. One of its greatest criticisms was the "equal environment assumption", which states that it can't be assumed that twins reared together are exposed to the same environment.
The problem of heredity and environment must be thought of not only as specific to each characteristic and to each environment, but as specific to each individual in respect to each of his characters and to each factor of environment. We cannot speak of a good or of a bad environment except in terms of a particular characteristic of particular individual and particular environmental factors ( John Mcleish).