Question

Nature vs. Nurture Write A compare/contrast paper that looks at how our environment and our genes compete to create who we are. There are many speculations as to how nature and nurture affect the overall development of the child. This assignment will require for you to research material specific to nature and nurture and respond to what the material states, your beliefs, and not only to identifying their meaning, but to include a minimum of 4 examples for each. 6 to 8 paragraphs. or 2-3 pages

Identifie what “Nature” means in relationship to early childhood development and gave examples of what it would look like. give 4 examples

Identified what “Nurture” means in relationship to early childhood development and gave examples of what it would look like. Give 4 examples

Answer 1

• The age old debate of nature versus nurture as a means to describe differences in development still exists today. The underlying question of this debate is, whether genetic factors (nature) or environmental factors (nurture) are more important in determining child development. Nature refers to biological or hereditary information that affects child development and learning.
• It has long been known that certain physical characteristics are biologically determined by genetic inheritance. Color of eyes, straight or curly hair, pigmentation of the skin and certain diseases (such as Huntingdon’s chorea) are all a function of the genes we inherit.
• At the other end of the spectrum are the environmentalists – also known as empiricists.(nurture)Their basic assumption is that at birth the human mind is a tabula rasa (a blank slate) and that this is gradually “filled” as a result of experience.
• For example, when an infant forms an attachment it is responding to the love and attention it has received, language comes from imitating the speech of others, and cognitive development depends on the degree of stimulation in the environment and, more broadly, on the civilization within which the child is reared.
• Examples of an extreme nature positions in psychology include Bowlby's (1969) theory of attachment, which views the bond between mother and child as being an innate process that ensures survival. Likewise, Chomsky (1965) proposed language is gained through the use of an innate language acquisition device. Another example of nature is Freud's theory of aggression as being an innate drive (called Thanatos).
• In contrast,according to nurture view, Bandura's social learning theory states that aggression is a learned from the environment through observation and imitation. This is seen in his famous Bobo doll experiment. Also, Skinner believed that language is learnt from other people via behavior shaping techniques.
• Brain development in the first three years is a direct result of experience taken in by a child through all five senses, making the environment crucial to development
• There are many ways of nurture that influence child development. The most common one is parenting environment. Different families may utilize different geographic setting to be part of the parenting environment. For example, children who grow up in low-income family will have disadvantages in their life. Poor children have social behavioral problem, low achievement in academic and low cognitive development.
• These situations continue through adulthood. Sociocultural theory emphasizes that development is reciprocal transaction between the people in a child’s environment and the child. Besides, people and settings influence the child, who in turn influences the people and settings.
• For example, a child raised with their extended family nearby will grow up with a difference sense of family life than a child whose relatives live a considerable distance away.
• It is widely accepted now that heredity and the environment do not act independently. Both nature and nurture are essential for any behavior, and it cannot be said that a particular behavior is genetic and another is environmental. It is impossible to separate the two influences as well as illogical as nature and nurture do not operate in a separate way but interact in a complex manner.