The debate on the extent of the effects of nature versus nurture has existed for centuries. Nature describes human genetics and heritable traits, and nurture expresses how humans are raised and their surrounding environment. Many psychology scholars disagree over the comparative contributions of genetics and experience. Plato alleged that both personality and intelligence level were hereditary, while Aristotle asserted that human’s knowledge and traits came completely from experience (Myers 8). This issue continues to have relevance in the study of human behavior. Although both nature and nurture are intertwined, psychologists debate whether it is experience or biology that shapes human development and behavior the most.
Nature and nurture …show more content…
Identical twins that are separated at birth have the same genetics but differing environments, and thus, they are studied to gauge the extent of nature versus the extent of nurture. In 1979 Thomas J. Bouchard, a professor at the University of Minnesota, conducted the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart in which twins with identical DNA were raised in separate environments. Between the sets of twins, there were shocking similarities. One pair, James Lewis and James Springer, worked in law enforcement agencies and then as firemen, chewed their fingernails, and named their first-born sons James Alan. Even though the twins were quite similar despite being separated for the formative years of their life, they had differences in personality. Their personalities were similar but not identical. These discrepancies are attributed to what is called the non-shared environment (Jackson). The shared environment, comprised of the family household, has been shown to have little effect on personality, while the non-shared environment, including peer influences, has a greater impact on personality. The non-shared environment accounts for the deviation in both personality and IQ during adulthood (Daniels and Plomin). The James twins’ IQ levels were not strikingly similar compared to normal siblings (Dewey). Some aspects of personality can be attributed to genetics while the divergences result from the non-shared environment, resulting in unique
Nature and nurture …show more content…
Identical twins that are separated at birth have the same genetics but differing environments, and thus, they are studied to gauge the extent of nature versus the extent of nurture. In 1979 Thomas J. Bouchard, a professor at the University of Minnesota, conducted the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart in which twins with identical DNA were raised in separate environments. Between the sets of twins, there were shocking similarities. One pair, James Lewis and James Springer, worked in law enforcement agencies and then as firemen, chewed their fingernails, and named their first-born sons James Alan. Even though the twins were quite similar despite being separated for the formative years of their life, they had differences in personality. Their personalities were similar but not identical. These discrepancies are attributed to what is called the non-shared environment (Jackson). The shared environment, comprised of the family household, has been shown to have little effect on personality, while the non-shared environment, including peer influences, has a greater impact on personality. The non-shared environment accounts for the deviation in both personality and IQ during adulthood (Daniels and Plomin). The James twins’ IQ levels were not strikingly similar compared to normal siblings (Dewey). Some aspects of personality can be attributed to genetics while the divergences result from the non-shared environment, resulting in unique