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The nature vs nurture debate is one of the oldest in psychology, the origin dating back to approximately 300 BC, during the time of Greek Philosophers Aristotle and Plato. The debate is centered around whether human behavior can be defined more by genetics (nature) or is learned from the surrounding environment (nurture). Nativism is when people believe that we are defined only by nature, the basic assumption of this is that characteristics of the human species as a whole are a product of evolution and individual differences are due to each person's unique genetic code. Empiricism is the extreme nurture viewpoint and the basic assumption that at birth the human mind is a blank slate and is eventually filled as a result of experience. The extreme nurture viewpoint believes that psychological characteristics appear during childhood, and are results of learning, therefore how you are raised determines psychologically significant aspects of child development.
The ‘Classical Period’ of the Nature vs Nurture debate was when the debate initially originated during 300 BC. This was when Plato, a Greek Philosopher theorized the idea that human behavior and knowledge were determined by natural factors and that all knowledge is already present at birth, this is known as ‘nativism.’ Plato proposed that the roots of human structure and function are already wired into us. However, he did believe that the environment still had an impact on human characteristics, but it does not teach us anything we already know. Instead, he suggests that it simply reminds us of what we already know, therefore Plato created the idea that thoughts and behaviors are present at birth.
Aristotle, however, contradicted Plato, his theory was that humans learn everything they know through experiences. This view is known as empiricism, which is the nurture side of the Nature vs Nurture debate. Aristotle proposed that when born humans have a ‘tabula rasa’ which translates to ‘blank slate’ meaning that when born humans know nothing and everything about us personality, behaviors, and traits are a result of what we learn from our environment. An example of how Aristotle tried to gain knowledge and develop his theory was through his focus on epigenesis, and his systematic study of growing chick embryos. From his study Aristotle learnt that as the embryo grew the structure and functions underwent a transformation, this is the process he named ‘epigenesis.’ The result of Aristotle’s study on chick embryos was that it provided one of the first insights into the process of underlying development.
The Classical Period was significant in terms of the nature vs nurture debate as it was when the debate initially came about. The debate opened the possibility that humans were born with all knowledge present at birth, nature. Then was contradicted by the theory that humans are born with a ‘tabula rasa’, blank slate and learn everything through experience, nurture.
1600s
The 1600s were significant in terms of the debate as it was when Locke theorized the belief that ‘Nurture is everything, nature nothing’. And Descartes contradicted this theory by taking the view that all humans are born with innate knowledge from God.
In the 1600s the main figure in the psychological debate of nature vs nurture was an English philosopher born in 1632, John Locke. Whose beliefs sided with the nurture side of the nature vs nurture debate. Locke believed that when we are born our minds are blank slates, and we develop everything through experience. This position on the nature vs nurture debate is known as ‘empiricism’ which is the belief that most or all human characteristics are learnt. A second figure in the debate during the 1600s was Descartes, a French mathematician and scientist whose beliefs surrounding the origin of human knowledge aligned with Plato’s from the Classical period. Descartes believed that when born all humans had innate knowledge supplied by God.
John Watson was born January 9th, 1878 and was best known for theorizing behaviorism and conducting the ‘Little Albert Experiment’ Watson was for the nurture side of the nature vs nurture debate and believed that regardless of a person's genetic background they could be trained to do and become anything. One way that Watson proved his theory was the Little Albert Experiment where through association Watson trained a young boy to become scared of a rat. This experiment proved that Classical Conditioning could be used to create an irrational fear of something. Therefore, Watson supported his theory that people could be trained to do anything by training a young boy to have a phobia of a rat.
The 1800s was when two key figures in the debate came about, Francis Galton born in 1822 who was best known for his work in human intelligence, and John Watson born 1878 who theorized behaviorism.
Francis Galton was born February 16th, 1822 and was known for his work in human intelligence. He was the first person to conduct a study on twins in relation to heredity and environment. Galton’s stance on nature vs nurture debate was that nature was dominant to nurture. He believed that most physical and mental characteristics were inherited and biologically determined. In 1875 Galton conducted the first study of twins, in which he sent out hundreds of surveys to parents of twins. The goal of the study was to learn about the differences between how twins were affected because of their life experiences. The result of the study was that 16 out of 35 pairs of twins had similarities in their temperament and taste. However, it was rare that they were similar in character and Galton concluded that although many twins differed in personality their base morals and values that contributed to their character were more similar.
Piaget developed his Cognitive Learning Theory in 1936, which suggests that children go through 4 separate stages of mental development. The first is the sensorimotor stage (from birth till 2 years old), then the preoperational stage (2-7 years old), thirdly the concrete operational stage (7-11 years old), and lastly the formal operational stage (starts around age 12 and lasts through into adulthood). Piaget’s Cognitive Learning Theory was significant in the nature vs nurture debate as it was the first theory in the debate to suggest that both nature and nurture have a role to play in shaping human development. The theory implies that as a child develops and matures both biological aspects and the environment has an impact on the child.
The 1900s was when several influential figures entered the nature vs nurture debate, who each brought new elements to both the nature and nurture sides.
In 1931 over 9 months Kellogg simultaneously raised Gua, an infant Chimpanzee alongside his 10-month-old son. The objective of the study was to see what similarities Gua and Kellogg’s son would develop while being treated the same and prove that nurture was dominant to nature. The outcome of the experiment was that Gua developed many human-like attributes including wearing shoes and walking upright. Kellogg’s chimp experiment proved that an animal could adapt and develop human like attributes supporting the nurture side of the debate.
B.F Skinner was an American Psychologist who was on the nurture side of the nature vs nurture debate and was well known for his work in behaviorism. In 1957 he developed his theory of ‘Operant Conditioning’ which suggested that a behavior could be strengthened by using positive reinforcement and could lead to repetition on the behavior. Skinner proved his theory using his ‘Rat Box’ experiment where he placed a hungry rat in a box, and it learned to use a lever to get food. Skinner was significant to the nature vs nurture debate as he showed that when a behavior can be learnt and imitated when given positive reinforcement therefore supporting the nurture side of the debate.
Harlow was well known for his work in maternal separation and his monkey experiments which occurred from 1957-1963. Harlow’s ‘Monkey Love Experiments’ showed that when given a choice between comfort (having a cloth mother with no food) or survival (having a wire mother that had food) the baby monkey would always choose comfort over survival. The ‘Monkey Love Experiments’ were significant to the nature vs nurture debate as they showed the link between comfort emotional attachment, as the monkeys raised by the cloth Mother were ‘playful and inquisitive’ when reintroduced to other monkeys. In comparison to the monkeys raised by wire mothers who screamed and rocked back and forth in clear distress when reintroduced. Therefore, Harlow showed the significance of nurture in the nature vs nurture debate.
Bandura was significant in the nature vs nurture debate as he showed how role models influence a child’s behavior in his 1961 ‘Bobo Doll Experiment’, which supported the nurture side of the debate. His 1977 ‘Social Learning Theory’ showed how both cognitive and environmental factors influence how humans learn and what influences their behavior. It suggests that humans actively process information and are aware of the relationship between their actions and the consequences of those actions. This was significant to the nature vs nurture debate as it supported the nurture side of the debate by showing how other people influence behaviors.
Chomsky was best known for his work in language development in children in 1965, which supported the nature side of the nature vs nurture debate. His theory suggested that children have an innate natural ability to learn and develop language, and that this ability allows the child to learn any language independently. Chomsky’s language development theory was significant to the nature vs nurture debate as it allowed insight into the evolution of language development and how the brain has the innate ability to learn any language, supporting the nature side of the debate.
Therefore, the 1900s was a significant time period in the nature vs nurture debate as it was when there was the first suggestion and proof that both nature and nurture play a role in human development.
Bowlby was well known for his 1969 theory of attachment, suggesting that when born the brain is biologically wired to form attachments to others for survival, and that children have the innate demand to attach to one main figure. This theory supports the nature side of the debate as Bowlby suggests that babies are attached to their mother because their brains are pre-wired to form an attachment to survive.
Nancy Segal was an assistant in the Minnesota Twin Studies which occurred in 1986 and was the first physical proof that there is a correlation between nature and nurture affecting who we are. The Twin Studies showed that half of the differences in personality are genetically determined, however for characteristics like IQ the studies found that it is influenced primarily by genetics and that only approximately 25% of it is influenced by the environment. This was significant in the nature vs nurture debate as it proved that both nature and nurture have a role to play in human development and characteristics. And it also proved that nature nor nurture is purely responsible for human development like many previous figures in the debate have argued.
Robert Plomin was an American Psychologist best known for the Twin Early Development Study which was a 2-year study from 1994 to 1996. The study investigated how environmental and genetics factors create differences in learning and cognitive abilities as well as in emotions and behaviours throughout development. The study was significant to the nature vs nurture debate as it showed that both genes and the environment contribute to different areas of child development.
The Human Genome Project started in 1990 was a project that lasted for 13 years with the purpose of mapping and understanding all genes in the human body. A major part of the project was scientists identifying and understanding the genes and then linking them to how they influence the characteristics of humans. This is also known as Epigenetics; the study of how human behaviours and surrounding environments influence genes. The Human Genome Project was significant in the nature vs nurture debate as it told us what influence genes have on human characteristics.
Intelligence Development is being able to learn knowledge falling under the categories of emotional and creative intelligence. While also learning how to change and adapt to the surrounding environment. In terms of Intelligence Development in Nature vs Nurture, twin studies show that a genetic basis for intelligence development is equally influenced by both nature and nurture. This finding further supports the theories from the 1900s that suggest both nature and nurture have an influence on human characteristics, and therefore have an influence on intelligence development.
Interactionist ideas are the theory of human interaction which focuses on relationships within society. Another part of the interactionist ideas is communication, and how people communicate significance through language and symbols, which links to looking at how people can make sense of the social world. An example of interactionism is the association people have seeing blue and red flashing lights to the police, when really there is no necessary relationship between the two things. In terms of nature vs nurture interactionist ideas is the view that human behavioural characteristics develop from the interaction with both nature and nurture and that both genetic and environmental factors influence human behavioural traits.
In conclusion the nature vs nurture debate has evolved and changed over hundreds of years with fair and convincing arguments on each side of the debate. From the classical period to the 1800s figures within the debate were set on either nature or nurture being dominant over the other, and there were no theories that included both nature and nurture. However, in the 1900s the first suggestions of the potential that both the environment and genetics have a role to play in human development and characteristics, which brought another side into the debate. Then by the 2000s the debate concluded that both nature and nurture influence human development and characteristics. Therefore, the nature vs nurture debate was one of the longest in psychology that made many breakthroughs in understanding humans, and why some have certain behaviours that others do not, and eventually the debate concluded on the matter that both nature and nurture have an influence on humans.
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