Unit 2: Nature vs. Nurture
Commentary
Now that we have covered the foundations of Psychology, its history, and scientific methods of investigation, we are ready to begin discussing our theme for the course – You!! Why are you who you are?
Why Are You Who You Are?
What drives your decisions? Your thoughts? Your behaviors? Why do people act the way they do? If you ask most people about this, they respond with blank stares. It is a tough question. It is also a question that is central to Psychology – what makes people think and act?? So, where should we begin? Let’s start with a thought exercise.
Let's say scientists managed to create a child-clone of you. Do you think that the clone would be EXACTLY like you when it grew up? How would the clone be similar to you? How would the clone be different? Why would the clone be different? Please take a minute to think about and answer these questions before continuing…
If you thought something like "The clone would be like me because it would have similar DNA, similar genes" then you thought about the influence of inborn and biological factors on growth and development. If you thought something like "The clone would be different because it would be influenced by different friends, different teachers, different technologies, a different society, etc.," then you thought about the effects of environmental, situational, and non-biological factors on growth and development. So, which drives behavior and development? Is it nature, the inborn and biological factors, or is it nurture, the experiential and environmental factors? The Nature vs. Nurture debate (also known as the Heredity vs. Environment debate) is one of psychology's biggest issues. Of more personal importance, it is also at the root of our question, "Why are you who you are?" Why are you shy? Why do you like sports, or computers, or science, or skydiving? Why are some people risk takers while others avoid taking risks? Is it because of genetics or life experiences?
As you might have guessed, the answer is that both nature and nurture matter. People born with brain dysfunctions may not have the necessary brain structures or physiology to learn to perform complex tasks - much like computers missing necessary processing components - regardless of the learning experiences life offers. Clearly, genetics influences the "hardware" we come with and how well our hardware works. On the flip side, people born with fully functioning brains will not learn to do various things (play the piano, read, write, add, speak a foreign language) unless life provides the appropriate learning experiences. Clearly, our life experiences influence what we know, what we become good at, and how we think. So the question is not "Is it nature or nurture that drives development?" but rather "How much of each?" In this section you will learn about the interaction of nature and nurture in the development of intelligence and the formation of personality.
Next Steps...
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