Nature Vs Nurture Controversy

UNIT – II

Nature Vs Nurture Controversy

        The question of whether heredity (Nature) or Environment (Nurture) is more important in determining the course of Human Development has been debated for centuries.

        In 17^th century John Locke rejected the prevailing notion that babies were miniature adults, who arrived in the world fully equipped with abilities and knowledge and simply had to grow for these inherited characteristics to appear.  On the contrary Locke believed that the mind of a new born infant is a blank slate (tabula slate).  He believes that all knowledge comes to us through our senses.  It provides entirely by experiences.  There knows built in knowledge.

        In 1859 Charles Darwins “Theory of Evolution” emphasizes the biological basis of human development led many theories to emphasize heredity.

        In 20^th century environmentalist once again dominated.  Behaviourist John B. Watson argued that early training can turn the child into any kind of adult regardless of his or her heredity “give me a dozen healthy infants well formed and specific world to bring them up in and I will guarantee to take any one at random and train him to be any type of specialist I might select Doctor Lawyer, Artist, Merchant, Beggar and thief regardless of his talents, Potentialities, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his Ancestors(1930).

        Today most Psychologists agree not only that both nature and nurture play important roles but also that interact continuously to guide the development.

Nature:

        Nature i.e. Heredity is defined as the totality of biologically transmitted factors that influence the physical, Physiological and certain mental traits.

        Heredity refers to a biological mechanism that is responsible for the transfer of the specific and ancestral characteristics from generation to generation.

Heredity   ½    +        ¼         +    1/8    =      1 Individual  

           Parents,   Grand             Great

                        Parents   g. parents

STUDIES SUPPORTS HERIDITY:

1). Gregor John Mendal (1822 – 1884) used method of selective breeding.  Required characteristics like fast growing, height of the plant, colour of the seed coat, length of the pod can be selected for breeding and these selected characters can be produced in the next generation.

2). Galton’s study:

v He took 977 eminent people from 800 families in England.

v He investigated their family and relatives.

v Only 537 people’s relatives are eminent.      .

v He took another 977 normal people

v He investigated their family and Relatives

v Only 4 peoples have eminent relatives.

So eminence can be transmitted though heredity.

3). Goddard H.H. Studies: Kallikak family study

v Goddard studied a soldier Kallikak and his family.

v He had 2 wives, one is normal another one is feeble minded.

v Only 10% of the feeble minded wife’s generation was normal others were criminals and addicts.

v But 49% of the normal wife’s generation was normal.

4). Winship Study / Jukes Family Study:

        Jukes is a criminal

o  Out of 1967 members studied in five generations, only 20 proved to be of some use to society.

o  Winship stated that education was all paints it, does not alter the nature of wood that is under it.

5). IQ Correlation Study: (Burt & Howard)

o  Correlation between IQ of the different persons were calculated and results were tabulated

o  The tabulated results exhibits the influence of heredity on IQ.

        BLOOD RELATIONS                         CORRELATION IN %

1. Unrelated                                                               0%

2. First Cousins                                                        12%

3. Uncle/Aunt/Nephews, Nices                              25%

4. Grand Parents / Grand Children’s                      25%

5. Parents / Children’s                                            50%

6. Siblings                                                               50%

7. Fraternal Twins                                                  50%

8. Identical Twins                                                   90%

                        This correlation is same for Ht & Wt also.

6). Newman, Freeman and Holzinger Studied 50 pairs of identical twins and 50 pairs of fraternal twins.  In height and IQ .There is more similarities in identical twins.

NURTURE:

                Nurture (i.e.) Environment covers all the outside factors that have acted on the individual since he began life (Wood Worth).

                It consists of sum total of external stimulate from birth to death.

                The environment starts operating right from the moment of conception.  The heredity does not contribute anything after conception.  After the conception the game of environment starts.

STUDIES SUPPORTS ENVIRONMENT

1.   Abnormal Physical Environment Affects Growth:

-        A fish embryos kept in an ice box develop with one eye in the middle (Monsters).

-        Arctic while furred rabbits coat turned dark when light was cut off.

2.   Height is susceptible to environment

-        The height of inbreeding Chinese living in costal America is normal.

-        Their average height is more than their native Chinese.

3. Feral children (from non human environment)

  - Amala is two years old and Kamala is Nine years old they were rescued from forest.

  - The used both their limbs like wolf for eating and walking.

  - Amala died in the hospital.  But Kamala was turned humane after lot of training in the hospital.

4.                     IOWA university study:

-        IQ and Nursery Training have better correctation.

-        Eg. Identical twins were formed in two groups.  The IQ of a group which underwent nursery training is more.

-        IQ and Socio economic status of a parents also correlated.

Eg. Gordon collected intelligence ratings for 2 groups of children (Canal-boat and gypsy children).  They are socially isolated and he found their IQ is lower than others because of their environment.

5.   Cyril, Burt, Helay etc.

          Delinquency and Criminality is more in Antisocial environment like broken homes, Poverty over Protection, Rejection insecurity etc.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS:

1.         Heredity and environment play important role

2.         Heredity does not determine any ability but provides basis for that.

3.         Heredity influences Physique, Motor Sensory equipments, and level of intelligence.

4.         Bad Environment can suppress good inheritance

5.         Appropriate environment can create intelligence.

CONCLUSION:    A child is a product of continuous interaction of his nature and nurture.  Adams rightly Quatoes it is “neither heredity nor Environment but it is heredity and environment moulds the person”.

      Thus our heredity provide us the native capital to start the journey of life.  The success in life depends both on the potential value of our native capital and opportunities and circumstances we get from our environment.

      Thus Human personality is a product of inseparable interaction between one’s heredity and environment.  This is well explained by David Abrahamson’s writings “What the individual can do is decided by heredity and what he does is determined by environment.  The energies of individual are in the heredity but it is up to the environment to extract these energies.

      Lumlly has beautifully described the relation between heredity and environment.  He wrote “It is not heredity or environment but both heredity and environment”

HUMAN = HEREDITY + ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPT OF GROWTH:

        Growth refers only to increase in sing of parts and consequent changes in size and shape of the body as a whole.  It is the result of increase in number or size of a cell.

General Nature of Growth:

-        Every organism begins as a single cell and by taking nourishment it grows into individual.

-        All increase after birth is the result of enlargement of cells and multiplication of cells.

-        Growth is not continuous, it stops at maturity.

-        The rate of growth is not uniform.

-        It is not possible to change the rate, amount and direction of growth.

-        It is a product of the interaction of the organism and its environment.

-        Growth is quantitative and additive

-        Growth is observable and measurable.

-        Growth is a process of integration as well as differentiation

-        Normal growth is a sign of good health.

Development:

        Overall changes in shape, form or structure resulting in improved working or functioning indicates changes in qualitative rather quantitative.

Nature of Development:It is progressive series of changes that occurs in a orderly predicted pattern (Development is sequential Directional).

-        It is continuous process in all areas of mental activities.

-        It helps the individual to adopt in his environment.

-        It is a complex process integrates many structure and functions.

-        It includes many aspects like physical emotional intellectual, social and moral.

-        Rate of Development is not uniform throughout life.

-        Development is influenced by learning and maturation.

-        It related to ones environment.

-        It is based on teachers and parents behaviour.

-        It is qualitative.It is not measurable.    It is possible even without growth.

                D is a Product of      G + M + L

MATURATION:

        Maturation is the process by which underlying potential capacity of the organism reach at the stage of functional Readiness.  This process involves both type of changes i.e. Structure and function.  The structural changes are with growth and progressive exercise by structure that provide ground work for later performance or functions  - A. T. Jersild.

General Nature of Maturation:

1.   It is a process of describing underlying potential capacity of an individual.

2.   It means growth and development.

3.   It is an automatic process of somatic, physical and mental differentiation and integration.

4.   It involves structural and functional changes.

5.   Maturation is a stage of completion of growth and consolidation of development

Difference between Growth and Maturation:

	Growth	Maturation
1	Potential capacity of the organism reaches improved working.	Overall changes resulting in functional    readiness.
2	Structural and functional changes take place.	Only functional changes leads to           development.
3	It is a stage of completion of a growth.	Growth not stops at development.
4	It means growth and development.	It means maturation and learning.
5	It is an integration and Differentiation process.	It is an integration process alone.
6	Determined by heredity.	Determined by environment.
7	It is a physical readiness alone.	It is a whole development
8	It includes physical aspects alone.	It includes physical mental, social,    emotional and moral aspects.
9	It is a natural and automatic process.	It is artificially influenced through learning

Difference between Growth and Development:

	Growth	Development
1	It is quantitative in nature.	It is qualitative in nature
2	It can objectively measured.	It can’t be objectively measured.
3	It is not continuous.	It is continuous.
4	It is a single aspect.	It is a complex activity.
5	It results changes in different parts of the organism.	It makes change in the whole organism.
6	It is not affected by learning.	It is affected by learning.
7	Growth is non-directional.	Development is Directional and sequential.
	Growth in one part may / may not lead to growth in another	Development in one aspect promotes development in another