Many people today wonder about whom they are and how they became that way. Is who we are in our genetic code? Is it a result of our surroundings? Behavioral geneticists attempt to answer these questions by studying the differences in humanity and weighing the effects and interplay of heredity and environment--nature versus nurture. Nature, or environment, is the effect of the surroundings. Nurture, or heredity, is the effect of the genes. Behavioral geneticists have found however that both play a key role in our lives, as twin studies have shown. Twins are an essential role in showing the effects of heredity and environment, however, there are two types of twins. One type is identical twins. Identical twins are genetically the same, as the name describes and are born from one fertilized egg that splits into two. Although identical, this does not mean they have the same number of copies of genes. Identical twins usually also share a placenta, but one in three sets has two separate placentas where one can provide more nutrition than the other. The other kind of twins is known as fraternal twins. These twins are born from two separate fertilized eggs and are genetically no more similar than siblings. They are simply born at the same time. Behaviorally, they are also less similar than identical twins. …show more content…
For example, two identical twins share the same genes—the control—and are raised in different environments—the variable. Therefore, behavioral geneticists can study the effects of environment on a person’s behavior. This is shown in the case of separated twins Oskar Stohr and Jack Yufe. Both had similarities in personality, abilities, attitudes, and interests, however, their environments created drastic differences. One twin was raised in Germany by his grandmother as a Catholic and a Nazi. Their father raised the other twin in the Caribbean as a
Identical twins look so similar because identical twins have the same genetic makeup, meaning, the same DNA (same nitrogenous bases). This is because by they are fertilized by the same egg, making them identical.
"Twins have a special claim upon our attention; it is, that their history affords means of distinguishing between the effects of tendencies received at birth, and those that were imposed by the special circumstances of their after lives." says Sir Francis Galton, 19th century behavioral genetics pioneer. Researchers have used twin studies to try to figure out the genetic backgrounds of an abundance of traits, from determination to intelligence to bizarre to alcohol dependence.
In reading stories about identical twins my point of view is easily understood. Various types of psychologist have analyzed the study of identical twins. It shows that individuals with the same genetic make-up can be totally different, when it comes to personality. Nurture promotes the twins to grow up as separate individuals. Its a lot better if a twin has his or her own personality rather than the same exact personality of the other half. I think this great debate weighs heavier on the nurture side. As a child my parents, and sibling overshadowed my genetic make-up. No matter how much I thought my physical traits made me behave. It did not affect me more than the things that I had seen and been exposed to. The more things that I had seen around and experienced made me the person that I am today. If my genetic make-up was totally different, to a certain extent, I am sure that I?d behave the same way that I do presently. There are exceptions to that. For instance if I were six foot five and one hundred and ninety pounds, I?d most likely be in the NBA and be really rich. I think if I was really rich and in the NBA I wouldn?t have the same worries that I have today. Even if before I were in the NBA I would have lots of attention and have a lot more confidence. So to an extent I would change a little if my genetic make-up were different. In a sense, genetic make-up is just a competitor to the environmental factors
Twins, share a bond that no parent, child or sibling relationship can ever compare. There are two main types of twins, and these include: monozygotic (identical) twins and dizygotic (fraternal) twins, and they are compared by their emotional, behavioural, and cognitive similarities. (Robert Plomin, 1997). According to Social Issues Referencing, 2007, whereas Identical twins are formed from a single (mono) zygote and are genetic “carbon copies”, fraternal twins develop from two (di) separate zygotes, as a result of two eggs being fertilized by two sperms independently. (Social Issues Referencing, 2007, para. 8)
Twins are born with the same genome and epigenome but the environmental factors that they are exposed to bring a difference in their epigenome. As twins grow they experience different things and they make distinct life choices which can make twins so different from each other.
In my opinion, twins reared in such different conditions can display some of the same traits especially in their biological traits. In this movie (Twins, 1988), Julius and Vincent Benedict considered as fraternal twins. Fraternal twins are formed from two different ova fertilized by two different sperm. The fraternal twins are siblings born at the same time. Like other siblings they share half their genes, chromosomes and also deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), (M Fish, 2010). So they shared some of the common traits indirectly in their daily routine. Not only that, it was also considered as nature, which is the biological traits inherited from their biological parents.
Throughout history, across all cultures, people have been fascinated with twins. In addition to interest in the close emotional ties and biological similarities that twins may share, reports of special twin languages and twin extrasensory perception (ESP) help people to explore ideas of what it means to be human. How similar or different are they to each other? How important are genes and environment for development? Because identical twins share all of their genes, it is the environment—rather than genetics—that accounts for any differences between them.
What would it be like to have a twin? This is a question people often ponder. People often say that they see someone that resembles someone they already know. It is almost like dejavu. “Twin” comes from the German word “twine” meaning “two together” (Nagy 1). Most people automatically think of two people who look just alike when they hear the word “twin”. However, there is a lot more to twins than just looking alike. Twins are the most common type of multiple births. Many think there are only two types of twins, identical and fraternal; they often leave out conjoined twins. Twins are very unique and fascinating individuals because of their similarities biologically, physically, and psychologically.
Identical twins happen when a single egg is fertilized to form one zygote. They are usually the same sex, which they will look alike. however parent will be able to identify them. what might cause some of the changes is the early environment of the womb. causes can be external influences that can changes twins appearance. which means even though monozygotic twins share the same placenta the chance are on the twin can receive more advantage of the placenta than the
Twins are sought to be an interesting set of individuals and many questions can surround the theories of twins and their IQ, mental states, and the psychological tolls it may have on them and their families. Many parents can barely handle a singleton and would find twins birth a more challenging surprise. Some people believe that the IQ and mental state of the twins could come from their birth rate which at many times is low or the family dynamic for which the twins are raised. Many twins depend on each other in order to learn and develop which could have some advantages and disadvantages among their growth. Singleton children may have older or younger siblings or surround themselves with a group of different types of age groups and grow from there, but twins are at times more of a loner and like to stay among each other which have been my experience with my twins. Identical twins as oppose to fraternal also has an effect of the psychological and IQ of each of them. Fraternal twins are more like singletons for the most part because they do not share a egg where as the identical twins( which is have) develop differently and have a closer bond because they share the same egg and were actually a single egg that was split into two eggs.
It is true that identical twins are a lot alike, but they can also be different in many ways.
The medical term for identical twins is monozygotic and dizygotic for fraternal twins. Let’s do some comparing and contrasting of the two types of twins. Identical twins come from one egg that is fertilized by one sperm whereas fraternal twins come from two separate eggs and are fertilized by two separate sperm. Eventually sometime after conception of identical twins the egg will split resulting in two babies. Identical twins have identical DNA strands whereas fraternal
All human beings are unique from one and another, each complex organism has certain traits that can be seen some harder than others. Some traits that are easier to see such as hair and eye color, the other ones that are harder to see are vocal talents, Asthma, and disease risk. Traits can be created through the environment or through genes. The environment can change traits such as the things we enjoy or the sounds that we create, like language, the language we speak is considered environment change. Though eye color or body shape is inherited through our parents giving us some identical genes. Although with twins they are a bit more genetically close, yet they are not 100% DNA matches, all human beings will have a small amount of traits that are different, but those who are fraternal twins do share closer DNA than those who are born years a part.
For years I have been fascinated by that mysterious quirk of nature called twins. In my family, there are several sets of identical twins, and I have always concentrated on their similarities. I did not realize that identical twins also have many differences. My identical twin cousins, Sue and Heidi, appear to be perfect mirror images. They love to dress alike. They can feel each other's pain. They sound alike and can complete each other's sentences. But upon taking a closer look, I have found that they are as different as day and night. Aside from Sue and Heidi's outward characteristics, they possess several distinguishing traits that allow them to be viewed as two separate, independent
From these studies, researchers have found that twins who have grown up in the same household share similarities in the way they think, act, dress, speak, etcetera. However, with the first type of twin studies, researchers could not differentiate whether the similarities were due to them having identical/similar genetic makeups or growing up in the same environments. Therefore, in order for psychologists to know whether similarities in twins are genetic or socially influenced, they studied twins who grew up in completely different households and environments. The study showed that despite growing up with a different family and in a different environment, they still had noticeable similarities in fashion, interests, and thought processes (K.W. Brown, personal communication, August 29, 2017). Twin studies, as well as other studies, have greatly contributed to our understanding of overall role that genes play in the development of psychological traits and behavior.