Influence of Nature and Nurture Developmental Research Essay Example for Free

Influence of Nature and Nurture Developmental Research EssayHow many an(prenominal) bald, six-foot-six, 250-pound volunteer firefighters in New Jersey wear droopy mustaches, aviator-style eyeglasses, and a the influence of character versus key ring on the right side of the bam? upgrade. The answer is twain Gerald Levey and Mark Newman. They are twins who were separated at birth. Each twin did non even know 25. 2 Describe growingal the other existed until they were reunitedin a fire stationby a research techniques. fellow firefighter. . . The lives of the twins, although separate, took remarkably similar 25. Discuss prenatal paths. Levey went to college, studying forestry Newman mean to development. study forestry in college but instead took a job trimming trees. . . . Both men are unmarried and find the resembling kind of fair sex attractive t on the whole, slender, long hair. They share similar hobbies, enjoying hunting, fishing, going to the beach, and watching old John Wayne movies and professional wrestling. Both like Chinese food and drink the same brand of beer. learning outcomes 25. 1 Compare and contrastThe remarkable range of similarities we see in many pairs of identical twins raises one of the fundamental questions pose by developmental psychology, the study of the patterns of growth and change that croak throughout life. The question is this How can we distinguish between the environmental causes of behavior (the influence of parents, siblings, family, friends, schooling, nutrition, and all the other experiences to which a child is exposed) and hereditary causes (those based on the genetic makeup of an individual that influence growth and development throughout life)?This question embodies the naturenurture issue. In this context, nature refers to hereditary factors, and nurture to environmental influences. Although the question was first posed as a nature-versus-nurture issue, developmental psychologists today agree that twain na ture Gerald Levey and Mark Newman 282 Chapter 8 development and nurture interact to produce specific developmental patterns and outDevelopmental psychology The comes. Consequently, the question has evolved into How and to what degree branch of psychology that studies the do environment and heredity both produce their effects?No one grows up patterns of growth and change that free of environmental influences, nor does anyone develop without being occur throughout life. affected by his or her inherited genetic makeup. However, the debate over Naturenurture issue The issue of the comparative influence of the two factors remains active, with different the degree to which environment and approaches and different theories of development emphasizing the environ- heredity influence behavior. ment or heredity to a greater or lesser degree (Pinker, 2002 Gottesman Hanson, 2005 Rutter, 2006).For example, some developmental theories rely on basic psychological principles of learning and stress the office learning plays in producing changes in The naturenurture issue behavior in a developing child. Such theories emphasize the role of the enviis a key question that is ronment in development. In contrast, other developmental theories emphasize pervasive throughout the the influence of ones physiological makeup and functioning on development. field of psychology, asking Such theories stress the role of heredity and aturationthe unfolding of biohow and to what degree logically predetermined patterns of behaviorin producing developmental environment and heredity change. Maturation can be seen, for instance, in the development of sex characproduce their joint effects. teristics (such as breasts and body hair) that occurs at the start of adolescence. Despite their differences over theory, developmental psychologists concur on some points. They agree that genetic factors not only provide the potential for specific behaviors or traits to emerge, but also place limitations on the e mergence of such behavior or traits.For instance, heredity defines passels general level of intelligence, setting an upper limit thatregardless of the pure tone of the environmentpeople cannot exceed. Heredity also places limits on physical abilities reality simply cannot run at a speed of 60 miles an hour, nor will they grow as tall as 10 feet, no matter what the quality of their environment (Dodge, 2004 Pinker, 2004). Figure 1 lists some of the characteristics most affected by heredity. As you consider these items, it is important to keep in mind that these characteristics are not entirely determined by heredity, for environmental factors also play a role.Developmental psychologists also agree that in most instances environmental factors play a critical role in enabling people to reach the potential capabilities that their genetic background makes possible. If Albert Einstein had received no intellectual stimulation as a child and had not been sent to s tudy aler t Height Weigh t Obesity Tone of voice Physical Characteristics Blood pressure Tooth declivity Athletic ability Firmness of handshake Age of death Activity level Intellectual Characteristics