How Nature And Nurture Affects Intelligence

Throughout the history of human existence, there have always been many questions that have plagued man for centuries. Some of these questions are “what is the meaning of life” or “which came first, the chicken or the egg.” Within the last 400 years a new question has surfaced and has caused an enormous controversy which takes our minds to much further levels. The controversy is whether inherited genes or the environment influences and affects our personality, intelligence, behavior, development and abilities. This controversy is most often recognized as the “Nature vs. Nurture” conflict. Some people believe that it is strictly genes that affect our ways of live and how we are, while others believe that it is the environment that affects

Intelligence is defined as the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations. We can measure a person’s intelligence by assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes using numerical scores. Psychologists are currently still arguing whether intelligence is inherited or acquired. Nature is focuses more on genetics and hormones while. Nurture, on the other hand, focuses on external factors that have an influence on individuals. Regarding the intelligence debate in Psychology, the most important factor is nurture/environment.

The brain is one of the most complex, unknown organs of the human body. Researchers often break down the characteristics of the brain to whether tendencies are achieved through nurtured environments or the inheritability of genetics. Intelligence is one of the most controversial topics when it comes to deciding whether environment or genetics are most influential. Many argue that intelligence is based on environmental factors and the unique ability to work hard, but fail to realize the essential cognitive qualities concerning what truly defines intelligence. Although some may consider this trait as based on environment, intelligence is a cognitive attribute established by the nature of genetics.

Intelligence by definition is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014). However, many psychologists argue that there is no standard definition of ‘intelligence’, and there have been many different theories over time as psychologists try to find better ways to define this concept (Boundless 2013). While some believe in a single, general intelligence, others believe that intelligence involves multiple abilities and skills. Another largely debated concept is whether intelligence is genetically determined and fixed, or whether is it open to change, through learning and environmental influence. This is commonly known as the nature vs. nurture debate.

Furthermore, the nature-nurture continuum will demonstrate how every child will fall on this continuum that certain behaviors are a result of the child’s genetic makeup and the type of environment the child is raised in. For instance, a child’s intelligence can be considered under either end of the continuum, and for some cases, fall in the middle. If during a child’s development, a part of their brain is not developing properly due to genetic disorders this would be considered a matter of nature. Whereas, if it solely had to deal with the environment or upbringing the child dealt with such as opportunity to good schooling and services, would pertain to nurture. Except for some children, both would apply in that, the child may have inherited a genetic disorder which has affected their brain development and in turn are nurtured through an environment of plenty opportunities and services

The ability to think is what distinguishes humans from other living beings. A human’s capacity to create, plan, organize, distinguish, use judgement, imagine, and speak are all elements of thinking. Cognitive development explains the progression of thinking, specifically critical thinking, throughout the lifespan. During childhood, the brain, particularly the areas of the brain that control cognition, are bursting with connections and changing continuously. Between childhood and adolescence, the capacity to think develops enormously and changes drastically.

The nature versus nurture debate is the scientific, cultural, and philosophical debate about whether human culture, behavior, and personality are caused primarily by nature or nurture. Within the field of psychology, this so-called nature-nurture debate, is very often associated with the issue of intellectual quotient, better known as IQ. In the past psychologists have argued that the way in which a child developed was based solely on nature, genetic or hormone-based behaviors, or nurture, environment and experience. Nevertheless, this extreme way of thinking is now long outdated, and it is clear that both nature and nurture have great effect on our intellectual development. The question now lies in just how much impact each has on an

A debate between psychologist, scientists and philosopher thinkers on the spectrum of ‘nature vs. nurture’ arose concerning human development. In the nature versus nurture debate, the term "nature" refers to the genes we inherit while the term "nurture" refers to our outside environment (Nature vs. Nurture: Twin and Adoption Studies). This debate of ‘nature vs. nurture’ has existed for centuries and up to now it is still a topic of major discussion although at present time. Human development is the scientific study of age-related changes in behavior, thinking, emotions and personality (Boyd & Bee, 2005). In order to understand cognitive, emotional, physical, social and educational growth that everyone experiences from

Nurture intelligence is another factor which is still unfolded. Some believe that upbringing a child in a proper environment can effect their mood, body and their views towards to world. If someone’s brought up in an environment where he or she gets all the facilities and necessities of daily life, it will help through the entire life, in saying that if the person receives the correct surroundings, family support, supportive friends circle, it can help them throughout the journey of life. Family habits, interests and company of good people as mentioned above will leave a significant effect on the person’s development. The nature theory holds the genetic influence over abstract traits however, the environmental factors are the real origins of our behaviour. We want to be according to the environment around us. At the end we are still confused which way is right nature or nurture since both sides have valid reasons to be right. Some traits come to us by genes and some we experience through travelling and experiencing different situations in our lifetime, which is a proven fact. Nurture helps shape our intelligence in the sense that what surrounds us is what we end up liking and

The basic elements of the nature-nurture controversy, debates the genetic or environmental effects of IQ, personality and behavioral differences in humans. Nature describes an inherited trait, otherwise known as the genes, containing the genetic code for each individual born. These genes contribute the physical characteristics, for example: eye color, skin pigmentation, hair texture, blood type, longevity, etc. Genes impose certain diseases, such as Huntington 's Chorea, Breast Cancer, Down Syndrome, and many more. Nurture describes an influence on the individual by the surrounding environment. This surrounding environment includes: parenting, culture, learned experiences, nutrition, exposure to toxins, pollutants and medications. In summary, scholars have been in debate for years over the issue determining the development of an individual from birth to an adult. Are issue of IQ, personality and behavior, inborn or are they learned? Or is it both? The nature-nurture controversy continues still today (McLeod, S. A. (2007).

Studies have shown a discrepancy in average IQ scores between whites and minority groups in the United States. The reason IQ is such of big factor is because many people associate IQ with high mental functions. More specifically it is considered that having a high, average, or low IQ presents qualities are an important factor in success for example: dedication; motivation; self-confidence; and social skills. Nature vs. Nurture has been skewed in recent years rather than even 10 years ago because of this concept of IQ because the thing that I wanted to understand was that can one’s metal functions be impacted by what you inherit from your parents alone (nature) or can it be influenced by where and how you matured in life

Although normal brain development can be retarded by sensory, social isolation, and deprivation, there is no sure environment that will transform a normal baby into a genius. Explain why heredity many contribute to individual differences in intelligence but not necessarily contributes to group differences. The amount of variation in a trait within a group that is attributed to genetic factors is called its heritability. For intelligence, this has been estimated at 50 percent. If we know a trait has perfect heritability, this knowledge does not enable us to rule out environmental factors in explaining differences between groups. Because of the impact of environmental factors such as education and nutrition on intelligence test performance, even if the heritability of intelligence is high within a particular group, differences in intelligence among groups may be environmentally caused. One group may, for example, thrive in an enriched environment while another of the same genetic predisposition may falter in an impoverished

Nature v. Nurture is the long lasting debate about whether people inherit their personality traits from their parents or if they are developed through their environment. Neither position has been proven because it is hard to find solid, irrefutable, scientific evidence to support either one. Nature v. Nurture can deal with many aspects of a person’s personality, such as intelligence and how a person was able to be as smart as they are. Intelligence is something that can be inherited, just as people inherited their physical characteristics. However, some feel that children are raised to be intelligent, and that kids cannot inherit something that is not visible or tangible. Maternal twins are a good study of Nature v. Nurture, because

While this assumption is accepted by a majority of geneticists and behavioral scientists, there is great disagreement on the degree of influence each contributes. Arguments for environmental influences are compelling; at the same time there is growing evidence that genetic influence on intelligence is significant and substantial (Eyesenck, 1998; Mackintosh, 1998; Plomin, 1994; Steen, 1996). The purpose of this paper is to explore the question: "How is intelligence influenced by heredity and environment?"

Intelligence is used by everyone to help them in everyday life. Where people get their intelligence, however, is debatable. A person is born with an amount of inherited intelligence; this intelligence is considered nature, genetic, or heredity. Then there is intelligence that comes from the ability to learn from experience; this intelligence is impacted by nurture or the environment. It is known that both genetic and environmental factors determine intelligence, but the subject is controversial among professionals. Does nature or nurture have a bigger impact on intelligence? Is it true that some people are born with high intelligence, but are limited by their environment? Given the proper tools, can a person increase their intelligence? How accurate are IQ tests?