In my opinion from watching the documentary and videos and what I have read in the book --- The Genius in All of Us by David Shenk is that I am glad that someone took the time and effort to figure out what most of what humans learn from is from the environment more so than genes. Genetic differences do exist and they do matter tremendously. Most of us don’t know what our true genetics are. One common characteristic in all successful adults is that some point in their lives they come to realize how much of the process of improvement is in their own control. People that understand that achieving success has to do with process and skill building are more ambitious and they do better. There is a big difference between what statistics tell you about genes and what biology tells you about genes. For example: Epigenetics introduce the concept of free will into our idea of genetics. Then there is Gene Expression which is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product. Another is Gene Environment interaction which is the phenotypic effect of interactions between genes and the environment. As stated in the textbook: “Intelligence,” as they have seen can mean many things. But however we define or measure it; clearly some people think and behave more intelligently than others. What …show more content…
Heritability is a statistical estimate of the proportion of the total variance in some trait that is attributable to genetic differences among individuals within a group. The question for the environment and intelligence is: What kinds of experiences hinder intellectual development and what kinds of environmental “nutrients” promote it? Some of the influences associated with reduced mental ability are: Poor prenatal care, malnutrition, exposure to toxins, and stressful family
Most scientists agree that genes have some influence over general intelligence and special aptitudes in such activities as athletics, mathematics, music, and science. But genes are not the only factor involved in producing these characteristics.
The main focus of Geoff Colvin’s, “What It Takes to Be Great”, published October 30, 2006, by Fortune, is on the importance that talent is to success. Researches were curious on,”how people were able to go on improving”, or how much is talent needed for success. They studied the best of the best in a variety of fields, such as: Michael Jordan, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Horowitz, Tiger Woods, and many more. Most people believe that talent makes someone great, but Colvin concludes, that people aren’t great through talent, but through deliberate practice. Deliberate practice involves a healthy mindset, consistency, obsessive practice, and discipline. Colvin shares,”The critical reality is that we are not hostage to some naturally given level
Success. It is one of the top life ambitions for many. It is the reason people go to college, strive to get good marks and work hard at their jobs as an attempt to leave a mark on the world and be known as someone who has achieved. Today, it is mostly held that in order to be successful, one must have some initial talent or intelligence and then work, work and work in order to succeed. This concept is brought up in Gladwell’s Outliers as the 10000 hour rule. However, we see that Gladwell brings up again and again the notion that opportunities are a key element to success. In Chapters 3 and 4, Gladwell shows that this also applies to those who, by sheer talent and intelligence, are already outliers: geniuses.
There is also scientific opinion that intelligence is attributed to DNA passed on from your parents. ( Plomin , Spinath 2004)
One way to determine the extent to which genetic influences affect IQ is via twin studies, in these studies monozygotic twins (who share 100% genetic information) are compared with dizygotic twins (who share only 50% genetic information), in both sets of twins the environment is constant, as a result the only factor affecting IQ is the genetics shared, therefore allowing cause and effect to be established. (Tzaskowski 2014) conducted an experiment using 6702 pairs of twins to compare g scores and DNA markers, from the experiment is was found that twins estimated heritability’s increased from 0.35 to 0.48 from ages 7 – 12, this shows that there is a strong genetic link between heritability and IQ from childhood to adulthood.
intelligence is determined by environment or genetics. The fact that human DNA is nearly identical across
Many are rich many are poor many have money many don’t. Have you ever had a moment where you did something selfish for desperation of money and karma hit you right back with a right hook?. And felt regret towards yourself. In the short story “Why, You Reckon” the author uses irony and dialogue, to show the audience that money can't buy happiness.
His findings have concluded that environmental factors explains 58 percent of IQ variations around the world. If IQ tests were able to compare different backgrounds of different races, it would be more apparent. An American clinical psychologist Terrie Moffitt, said that negative environments (low social status or ineffective parenting) could affect a child 's intelligence even more (Parker/Morton 1). There is a way to make a child smarter and that starts from an upbringing environment that is positive (Hurley). While bringing in the genetics of an individual based on their skin color, there are also different environmental factors that can contribute to the correlation between race and intelligence.
According to Hannah Richardson, intelligence tests measure the ways people respond to their environment but they do not measure genetic predispositions.
Herrnstein and Charles Murray, evidence shows that “intelligence is to a significant extent inherited.” Since 1994 when the book was published, there has been more research on the topic of where it comes from. The battle still exists between stemming from our surrounding environment or being in the genes. Sue Ramsden at University College London did an IQ study with some of her colleagues on 33 adolescents. She did the study 3-4 years later and found the adolescents test scores increased, some dramatically. This evidence shows that intelligence can change throughout one’s life. Upbringing plays a role in an individual being able to explore their own mind and intelligence. If a child is raised without encouragement and direction, they may have a negative view and a harder time wanting to explore knowledge. Reading to child when they’re young, traveling to other cities/states, and communication all are factors in opening the mind of children at a young age that can carry on into adulthood. But here's where the controversy comes in. Some children and adolescents who did not have a good upbringing, had a rocky childhood and un-directive parents still have turned out to be straight A students and have a high, and growing, intelligence in one or more areas. Everyone has different abilities and finding what that is can look easy to some people whereas some may have a more difficult
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?
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
While the study of human genes is increasingly improving our understanding of human development, it is not solely our genetic makeup that determines how we will develop. Humans as a species share many universal traits, which make it easy to disregard the large influence the environment plays in development. Throughout the lifespan, the environment presents itself in many different positions that help determine and shape human development. By looking at the influence of the environment and genetics on human development we are able to create a more holistic view of this process and gain a better understanding of the complexities involved within it. Through this comprehensive lens, it is easy to see how probabilistic human development offers the greatest amount of explanation, unlike the predetermined views of genetic influence in the past, and that environmental influence has an extensive impact on human behavior.
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?"
Furthermore, studies have found there is a genetic link to verbal abilities (which is also correlated with verbal intelligence). In one study it was concluded that the genetic influences on verbal intelligence become more significant over one’s lifetime in explaining differences between individuals, whereas environmental factors decrease (Hoekstra, Bartels, van Leeuwen, Boomsma, 2009). Additionally, twin and adoption studies on verbal memory and fluency in early childhood (as well as adulthood) show that there are “moderate to strong” genetic influences (Hoekstra, Bartels, van Leeuwen, Boomsma, 2009).