Question

this week we are learning about language and cognitive development. Psychologists have been debating for quite some time about whether it is nature (heredity) or nurture (our environment) that influences our development and behavior.

Take a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aNaMlSc3Ag&list=PLC6B610F325F65635 and share your perspectives on what you believe was most influential in your own development and behavior.

Answer 1

Whether nature or nurture influences our development or behaviour is a very debatable question.Before moving ahead to answer this question, we shall be well conversant with the terms “Nature” and “Nurture” respectively and then we will discuss how nature and nurture influences human behaviour or development.

To begin with we shall deal with the term-“Nature”

Nature can be loosely defined as the genetic inheritance or the genetic makeup which a person inherits from both parents at the time of conception and carries throughout life. A person or an Individual inherited so many things from his/her parents such as gender, colour of eye, straight or curly hair, colour of skin risks for certain diseases, exceptional talents, height etc. Hence the term “Nature” may be described as certain biologically inherited tendencies and abilities that people have.

Similarly the other term-“Nurture” may be described as the different environment factors to which a person is subjected from birth to death. Environmental factors include both Physical environment such as prenatal nutrition and social environments such as neighbourhood, media and peer pressure. Also, environmental factors have different levels of impact on human development as they involve multiple layers of action, ranging from most immediate (families, friends, and neighbourhoods) to bigger societal contexts (school systems and local governments).

Now we shall discuss role of Nature and Nurture on the Development of Human. It is said that Nature is responsible for the growth of a person from the foetus level until development into a normal adult. The genetic makeup of a human being is responsible for their sex, skin colour, colour of their eyes and hair as well as distinguishing features which are inherited. Thus we can say that nature uses the genetic coding to help in physical development and does impart some positive or negative traits to an individual.

However, it is nurture which can be utilized to improve positive traits and diminish the effect of negative traits in a child. It is very essential to recognize a person’s overall behaviour is influenced a great deal by nurture or upbringing and the environmental factors involved in this upbringing. Several recent studies on infant and child behaviour have shown that nurture strongly influences human development especially in the early childhood years.

In conclusion, it is evident that nature is responsible for producing healthy, well-developed babies. It is also nurture that plays an important role in the early stages of human development. Research has concluded beyond doubt that early human development is quicker and more focused due to nurture as it builds up on the talents provided by nature.