The Influence Of Nature And Nurture On An Individual 's Intelligence

During the procedure researchers desired to acquire as much information as accessible during the one-week visit. The testing consisted of 50 hours of four personality trait scales, three aptitude and occupational interests and two intelligence tests in which each twin had to fulfill. The researcher’s results show that genetic influences resemble to justify for most of the disparities in human characteristics. Bouchard and Lykken have come to the realization that genetic has a major impact on the characteristics of human and that it is no longer a deliberation. Instead ideas must be looked upon to advance. Our clarifications on fundamental views about skills, interest, parenting, education, abilities, and social behavior come from the viewpoint that individual’s knowledge and judgement shape their character and not the genes. Bouchard and Lykken will be the first to contradict with clarifications and propose their own suggestions. Genetic influence mainly drives intellect. These influences contain education, family setting and social class. Also, in Bouchard and Lykken’s findings are some genetic and environmental influence combinations that determine individual

Wickelgren (1999) explains that nurture can effect a child’s intelligence for better or worse and the nature does not matter.(Pg1 ) Even though the child might have the possibilities to develop well in a particular area this could be altered by their environment and the opposite would occur, For instance a child whose parents or parent are a math teacher the child could perform poorly if the parents did not take the time to talk to him or even spend much time with the child. The child might do poorly in all the areas of academics because the parents slacked in talking and not giving the child enough of

If identical twins were truly identical, then their development in two different environments would not affect their behavioral differences. Identical twins that are not separated may still differ from each other. Dr. Farber conducted a study that measured the degree of being separated and I.Q. test scores. On average, Dr. Farber discovered that the more separated the twins were, the greater the difference between their I.Q. scores. If intelligence had been hereditary, then these identical twins that were reared apart and separated would still have the same amount of intelligence; yet, they do not (Gruber).

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.

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 most important in today's society. Some individuals have high intelligence, some have low intelligence. An appropriate environment plays an important role in the development of a child’s intelligence. Stephen Jay Gould exchanged many views on intelligence in his book The Mismeasure of Man

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

The Minnesota twin study, Bouchard et al. (1990) was a longitudinal and cross cultural study to check the effect of heredity and environment on intelligence. This study was conducted on monozygotic and dizygotic twins separated from each other in infancy and reared apart. Approximately 50 hours of interviews and testing was done on each twin. For measuring intelligence, the WAIS test and the Raven test was used. The correlated IQ rates of the monozygotic twins reared apart were then compared to those that were reared together and dizygotic twins raised together to understand the result of heredity and environment on intelligence. This was useful as they shared similar genetic makeup but were exposed to different environmental conditions. Monozygotic

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

Across studies of 10,000 twins, the intelligence test scores of identical twins reared together are virtually as similar as those of the same person taking the same test twice…Likewise, the test scores of identical twins reared separately are similar enough to lead twin researcher Thomas Bouchard (1996) to estimate that ‘about 70 percent’ of intelligence score variation ‘can be attributed to genetic variation. (p. 455)

Possessing intelligence or not have long been argued about. The common theory about what determines smartness or dumbness has typically connected the matter to the individual’s genes. Consequently, these traits are typically considered something a person is born with. However, recent research confirms that intelligence is developed by the individual himself. This research indicates that the human brain is similar to a muscle and needs exercising to improve it. It also proves that the individual has the ability to respond to any situation based on how he thinks, and that what is called the mindset. There are two types of mindsets, there is the fixed mindset and there is the growth mindset.

Nature and nurture are two terms used in behavioral psychology to describe or debate what influences our personal growth and development. Nature is the genetic influences on how closely related people can have similar characteristics. The concept of nature is that certain genetic and hereditary characteristics are passed down from generation to generation. For example, a grandmother, a daughter and a granddaughter can all have the same skin color, hair color, eye color and also be similar in height. Also genetics are believed to play a role in intelligence, as well as some birth defects, and sexual orientation. Nurture on the other hand, is the role of environmental influences on an individual’s growth and development. Environmental influences include the home environment, parenting style and the effects of educational programs. There had been much research and debate on the roles of nature and nurture in one’s personal development.

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?