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Nature-Nurture debates in developmental psychology focus on the issue of what has a more significant impact on human behavior – genetics or the environment (incorporating experience and learning). The nature perspective assumes its characteristics and most patterns of behavior people inherit from their ancestors. The nurture followers, in turn, believe that people can be taught anything, and nature has little influence. Despite protracted disagreements, recently, researchers have been inclined to unite and study the interaction of nature and nurture in human development.
In assessing personal experience, I am inclined that both nature and education have a significant influence and therefore support the study of their interaction. Personal observations support my conclusion, for example, the development of talents. I noticed that in my environment, people in various ways cope with sports tasks, learning musical instruments, or understanding complex mathematical formulas. However, without training, some of them remain only with inclinations, but not with skills. In some cases, I noticed that even the many efforts made to learn do not always help to understand the question – for instance, I have difficulties with the economy. The study of various disciplines and the development of talents is only part of the life circumstances to which the question of nature-nurture can be applied, but rather convincing.
The study of the question helped me find an exciting article proving the need to study the nature and nurture’s interaction, and not each perspective separately. Barlow (2019) is conducting a broad literature review to confirm that genetic information is insufficiently used by modern science compared to data about environmental influence, from which science loses. Therefore, the author insists on more attention to nature and nurture’s interaction in science, particularly in psychology and sociology. The article interested me because it reflects the complexity of the interconnections of many factors that influence the process of human development.
Question
How can researchers measure the impact of nature and nurture on personal behavior?
Scholarly Link
Honeycutt, H. (2019). Nature and nurture as an enduring tension in the history of psychology. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Web.
This educational source is of interest in studying the theme of nature-nurture. It presents a short history of debate and the parties’ main arguments. Moreover, Honeycutt (2019) presents some theories related to these perspectives. The source allows readers to trace the development of the nature-nurture dispute and how it influenced psychology. Therefore, the article will be interesting to those looking for information on the issue, particularly students.
References
Barlow, F. K. (2019). Nature vs. nurture is nonsense: On the necessity of an integrated genetic, social, developmental, and personality psychology. Australian Journal of Psychology, 71(1), 68-79. Web.
Honeycutt, H. (2019). Nature and nurture as an enduring tension in the history of psychology. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Web.