Nature vs. Nurture Essay Throughout many years scientists have been debating about whether nature or nurture is the driving force that shapes a person’s cognitive abilities and personal traits. Before the ongoing debate can be explained, it is necessary to understand what nature and nurture actually are. Nature is loosely defined as the genetics one inherits and tendencies that influence development. Many things in an individual are hereditary, for instance; gender, disease, height, eye color, natural talent for an activity, and many more. Nurture can be defined as various environmental factors that a person is exposed to, which can influence how a person develops. Nurture affects an individual’s growth through multiple ways such as: stressors,
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There have been numerous, but unethical case studies where two identical twins were separated at birth and scientists tracked their development as they aged. Twin studies are ideal for scientists studying the nature versus nurture debate because the genetic make up is the same. Therefore, the only differences between the twins are due to their environment, rather than genetics. An example of how this works is when one twin gets a disease; researchers can look for factors in the twins’ environment that are different. Then when both twins develop a disease, the researchers look for genetics shared among the two twins. From these types of studies scientists have concluded that there is overwhelming evidence for both genetic and environmental factors. From taking data from numerous studies of twins they found that on average it is stated that fifty percent of individual differences are genetic and the other fifty percent are environmental. Therefore a person can conclude from this evidence that nature and nurture are both incredibly important in the developmental aspects of one’s life. In addition to the influences of nature and nurture being studied through twin studies, it can also be studied through an individual’s …show more content…
On the nature side of the argument scientists are looking for a gene or multiple genes that can explain why some athletes prosper further than others. They discovered the ACE gene which can be connected to endurance and power in an event like running. According to, “Athleticism: Nature or Nurture”, a director of sports science by the name of Ken von Someren states that, “genetic make-up accounts for fifty percent of variability in baseline performance” (Athleticism). However, this does not mean the genetic make up of a person puts them at advantage over the environmental factors someone else encounters. On the nurture side of the debate there are many elements that influence an athlete’s ability to perform well: coaches, parents, and culture. Coaches and parents play a vital role in optimizing the training for an athlete as well as motivating the athlete to reach higher levels of achievement. Culture impacts a large part in athletic success because certain areas put greater emphasis on specific sports; an example is how Brazil’s top sport is soccer. Therefore development of an athlete is neither a result of genetic make up nor environment, but a combination of the two. If an athlete has the proper genes, but never introduced to an environment in which they can flourish, then the full potential is not being put to use. Not
There have been numerous, but unethical case studies where two identical twins were separated at birth and scientists tracked their development as they aged. Twin studies are ideal for scientists studying the nature versus nurture debate because the genetic make up is the same. Therefore, the only differences between the twins are due to their environment, rather than genetics. An example of how this works is when one twin gets a disease; researchers can look for factors in the twins’ environment that are different. Then when both twins develop a disease, the researchers look for genetics shared among the two twins. From these types of studies scientists have concluded that there is overwhelming evidence for both genetic and environmental factors. From taking data from numerous studies of twins they found that on average it is stated that fifty percent of individual differences are genetic and the other fifty percent are environmental. Therefore a person can conclude from this evidence that nature and nurture are both incredibly important in the developmental aspects of one’s life. In addition to the influences of nature and nurture being studied through twin studies, it can also be studied through an individual’s …show more content…
On the nature side of the argument scientists are looking for a gene or multiple genes that can explain why some athletes prosper further than others. They discovered the ACE gene which can be connected to endurance and power in an event like running. According to, “Athleticism: Nature or Nurture”, a director of sports science by the name of Ken von Someren states that, “genetic make-up accounts for fifty percent of variability in baseline performance” (Athleticism). However, this does not mean the genetic make up of a person puts them at advantage over the environmental factors someone else encounters. On the nurture side of the debate there are many elements that influence an athlete’s ability to perform well: coaches, parents, and culture. Coaches and parents play a vital role in optimizing the training for an athlete as well as motivating the athlete to reach higher levels of achievement. Culture impacts a large part in athletic success because certain areas put greater emphasis on specific sports; an example is how Brazil’s top sport is soccer. Therefore development of an athlete is neither a result of genetic make up nor environment, but a combination of the two. If an athlete has the proper genes, but never introduced to an environment in which they can flourish, then the full potential is not being put to use. Not