Nature versus Nurture

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Recommended: Effects of environmental and developmental factors in child development

The argument of nature versus nurture is about whether or not an individual’s physical and behavioral traits are innate or if it is just based on personal experience. It is known that certain physical characteristics, such as eye and hair color, the pigment of skin and eye sight, are all determined by genetics (“Conditions”). It is still unclear whether or not if personality and mental abilities are already “preprogrammed” into us before we’re born. It is almost impossible to prove one way or another since there are too many facts supporting both sides but through the study of twins we’re able to prove that nature has a greater impact on a child’s development than nurture and one of the best ways to study this is by looking at twins.
Nature versus nurture has been a topic of controversy for decades due fact that most of the child’s basic characteristics, such as mental capacity and personality cannot be observed at birth. The first belief is that everyone’s personality is genetically passed down from their parents. This belief is referred to as “nature” because everything is already preprogrammed into a child’s brain by the time he or she is born. The other argument is “nurture”, also known as “tabula rasa” (Nature versus Nurture). This belief is that everyone’s personality is developed from the people they grow up around, so the behavioral similarities between parents and their children emerge throughout childhood from learning experiences alongside their parents. Between these two views, nurture has to have the bigger effect on the way a child develops.
The question of nature versus nurture was first asked by Francis Galton in the late 19th century (McLeod). He was convinced that intellectual abilities were inherited and his ...

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Works Cited

“Nature versus nurture.” Princeton.edu. n. page. Web. 10 November 2013.
“Conditions.” Thetech.org. n. page. Web. 11 November 2013.
Eliot, Lise. “What’s Going On In There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five
Years of Life.” Bantam Books. 1999. Print.
McLeod, Saul. “Nature Nurture in Psychology.” Simplypsychology.org. n. page. Web. 2007.
12 November 2013.
Richman, Joe. “Identical Strangers’ Explore Nature Vs. Nurture.” Npr.org. n. page. Web.
25 October 2007. 12 November 2013.
Hansen, Lauren. “9 Incredible Stories About Identical Twins.” Theweek.com. The Week. n. page. Web. 4 January, 2013. 11 November 2013.
Gruber, Howard E. “Nature vs. Nurture: A Natural Experiment.” Nytimes.com. The New York
Times. 1 March 1981. 12 November 2013.
“A Unique Look at Nature vs. Nurture.” Abcnews.com. ABC News. Web.
17 August 2005. 14 November 2013.

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