Ch.dev. 1/21

Introduction to Nature versus Nurture

The concept of nature versus nurture is fundamental in health development.
Many students are familiar with this concept from introductory psychology classes.

Nature: Refers to heritable traits encoded in our DNA, influencing physical and behavioral traits.
Nurture: Encompasses all environmental factors that impact development, including in utero influences, not just events after birth.
Nurture begins at conception and continues throughout life.

A discussion among students revealed different views on which aspect is more influential in development:
- One perspective favors nurture, citing numerous external factors shaping behavior and experiences.
- Another acknowledges nature, emphasizing the critical role of genetic makeup.
Contemporary research leans toward both as interacting influences on development.

Historically, researchers often polarized into camps advocating strictly for nature or strictly for nurture.
Early developmental scientists believed environmental factors (nurture) had the most significant impact.
Current understanding recognizes the interplay of genetic factors (nature) and environmental influences (nurture).

Epigenetics: A field that studies how genes are activated or silenced by environmental factors.
Environmental triggers can turn on genes linked to health problems, such as cancer.
The focus is on understanding how to manage gene expression to promote well-being.

In 1980, Robert discovered he had a twin brother, Eddie, upon starting college.
This led to the revelation of a third identical triplet, David, found through a newspaper story.
The triplets were part of a twin study aimed at understanding nature vs. nurture by observing identical twins raised apart.
Their separation for research purposes is now considered unethical due to the lack of informed consent from adoptive parents.

The triplets exhibited behavioral similarities, suggesting a genetic influence on personality despite different environmental experiences.
The discussion highlighted the importance of recognizing the roles of both heredity and environment in shaping individuals.

Ecological Model: Developed by Yuri Bronfenbrenner to illustrate how various environmental layers affect individual development.
- Microsystem: Immediate environment (e.g., family, peers, school).
- Mesosystem: Interconnections between different microsystems (e.g., relationships between home and school).
- Exosystem: External environmental settings indirectly affecting the individual (e.g., media, community resources).
- Macrosystem: Cultural values and ideologies influencing behavior (e.g., individualism vs. collectivism).
- Chronosystem: Temporal changes in environments that impact development over time (e.g., historical events).

Ongoing research surveys whether development occurs in a gradual, continuous manner or through distinct, discontinuous stages.
Historical theories (Freud, Erikson, Piaget) suggest discontinuous development, while recent research explores continuous models.

Descriptive Research: Collects data on populations to provide a snapshot of behaviors and characteristics.
Correlational Research: Examines the relationship between two variables using Pearson's r, indicating strength and direction (positive/negative).
Experimental Research: Involves manipulating an independent variable to observe effects, often challenging in child research due to ethical considerations.

Cross-Sectional Research: Analyzes different age groups at a single point to assess variations in development.
Longitudinal Research: Follows the same group over time to observe changes across different developmental stages.
Sequential Research: Combines longitudinal and cross-sectional methods, analyzing different cohorts over time.

Effective methods for studying children include:
- Observation in natural or controlled settings.
- Interactive engagement with children.
- Surveys and questionnaires directed at children and their guardians (parents/teachers).

The next focus will be prenatal development, understanding how various influences affect it, emphasizing the significance of early life experiences.