EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES…EXPLAINING SIMILARITIES NATURE VS NURTURE
EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES…EXPLAINING SIMILARITIES
NATURE VS NURTURE
“Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.”
Nehru
CONSIDER DOLLY….
Would a human clone’s adult personality mimic the person donating the genetic code? -or-Would he/she be unique?
NATURE
• When biology determines behavior• Tower of London• Explains why people who are related to each other- resemble each other
RECESSIVE VS. DOMINANT GENES
Recessive genes= two recessive genes must be paired to produce characteristicDominant genes= need no pairing. produce characteristic every time
GENES DO NOT ALWAYS INFLUENCE LIFE DIRECTLY
PKU
EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY
Farm Fox Experiment Dmitry Belyaev1959- Estonia30- male100- female45,000 foxes later…
CHANGES TO THE FOX..
•Pigment•Shorter tails (less bushy)•Changes to skull•Significant increase in tameness
HOW ALIKE ARE WE?
98.4% like Chimpanzees
THE IMPORTANCE OF TWIN STUDIES…
• Identical twins reared apart (separated at birth)studied to see the effect of environment. • Adopted fraternal twins studied to see the effect of inheritance.
WHAT DOES RESEARCH SUGGEST?
Identical Twins Separated
• Values• Interests• Motor skills• Reading, spelling,
writing• Intelligence• Medical issues• Personality
Adopted Twins
AttitudeMannersFaithPoliticsWork ethic
TEMPERAMENT= YOUR GENETIC PERSONALITY
•The easy child•The difficult child•The slow-to-warm-up child
NURTURE
Is your brain hard-wired and unchangeable- or does the environment actually produces changes in the brain?
It depends….
MALE PATTERN BALDNESS=100%
LEADERSHIP QUALITIES IN WOMEN=30%
ENVIRONMENT IS COMPLEX
•Culture= similarities/diversity•Circumstances•Economics•Opportunities•Skills learned
CRITICAL PERIODS
•Time when we are especially sensitive to learning •Begins and ends abruptly•Beyond this period, growth will not occur
IMPRINTING =RAPID, PERMENANT LEARNING
•Confined to a “definite” time period•Irreversible•Long-term consequences•Konrad Lorenz
PRENATAL INFLUENCES..
• Teratogens•Congenital problems• Fetal Alcohol syndrome
GENDER…
Your biggest environmental influence?