Question

Behavioral genetics Tool Box) e.g. breeding experiments (selective-, in-, crossbreeding; hybridization of behavior; artificial selection, cross-fostering, twin analyses, and single gene mutations. Ex. Hygienic vs. non-hygienic bees, cricket song patterns, collecting nesting material in love birds, flight patterns of migratory birds. What do these experiments tell us about the origins of behavior? What are possible limitations?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) The term “nurture” would generally refer to the environmental factors that mould and shape our personality and emotional state. This term is closely linked to Sociology. The term “nature” refers to the inherent temperament that each individual is born with. This term is closely studied in Psychology.

This means that the human personality is an amalgamation of one’s inherent “nature” or genetic factors like psyche, temperament, personality etc. Along with this, the “nurture” or factors like environment, peers, upbringing, social influences etc also play an important role in shaping the human personality.

Since each person has unique genetics and different nurturing environments, every person faces a unique combination of variables that affect the mind. If the influences are unique, the minds of people itself will obviously differ.

Breeding experiments, gene splicing, behavioural training and analysis etc. would all tell us that one’s behaviour is a result of several inherent and circumstantial variables that culminate to direct each action that together forms one’s behavioural patterns.

The limitations are that, in such a circumstance, it becomes difficult to always connect the mental state of a being to a single theory or category of disorder and disease. Even though psychological theories, concepts and categories are helpful in diagnosis, prescription and prognosis, it does not always fit every nuance of every individual.

The opinion of an expert would largely depend on the subjects, cases and researches that they have been exposed to. An expert on the other side of the world would have patients exposed to different genetic and environmental factors and hence their findings would also be different.

This would mean that the pursuit of understanding the mind is basically “trial and error.” The research that is closest to scientific research and development would mostly be the most accurate. These researches are the one to be believed as they are based on scientific facts and strong causal relationships.