Biological vs Environmental Influences

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Questions and Answers

According to John Watson, what determines human development?

Cognitive processes

Environmental influences (correct)

Biological inheritance

Random chance

John Watson claimed that he could train any child to become any type of specialist, independent of their genetic background.

True

What percentage of genetic similarity do fraternal twins share?

50%

The ________ rate is the percentage of pairs of people in which both members of the pair display the trait if one member has it.

concordance Signup and view all the answers

Which process involves experiences that lead to relatively permanent changes in thoughts and behaviors?

Learning Signup and view all the answers

Match the following figures with their contributions to development:

John Watson = Environmental influences Jean Piaget = Cognitive development Lawrence Kohlberg = Moral development Gesell = Motor skill development Signup and view all the answers

Identical twins, even when reared apart, have similar intelligence test scores compared to fraternal twins.

True Signup and view all the answers

What type of inheritance do identical twins share?

100% Signup and view all the answers

Which theorist suggested that child development follows a maturational timetable inherited in our genetic code?

Arnold Gesell Signup and view all the answers

Development is solely determined by environmental influences.

False Signup and view all the answers

What are the two main influences discussed in the debate around human development?

Biological and environmental influences Signup and view all the answers

The debate on whether development is a gradual process or occurs in _____ stages is known as continuity vs. discontinuity.

discrete Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'active vs. passive' refer to in the context of child development?

Children are either active agents or passive recipients of development. Signup and view all the answers

Match the following concepts with their definitions:

Nature = Biological influences on development Nurture = Environmental influences on development Continuity = Gradual and ongoing development Discontinuity = Development that occurs in stages Signup and view all the answers

Cultural universals assert that there are specific developmental laws applicable to all cultures.

True Signup and view all the answers

Arnold Gesell believed that a child's abilities, including their morals, are subject to the laws of _____ growth.

biological Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Theme 1: Biological Versus Environmental Influences

Development is shaped by both nature (biological forces) and nurture (environmental forces).
Arnold Gesell (1925) believed child development is determined by a maturational timetable inherited in our genetic code.
- Gesell believed a child's personality emerges through stages and natural sequences dictated by their nervous systems and biological programming.
- His theory emphasizes biological factors over environmental influences.
John Watson (1930), in contrast, argued that development is exclusively determined by environmental influences.
- Watson believed that any individual, given the proper environment, could be trained to become any type of specialist, regardless of their innate talents or predispositions.
- His theory prioritizes environmental learning over ingrained biological factors.
Maturation: This refers to the biological unfolding of an individual, encompassing both:
- Species-typical biological inheritance: This is the genetic blueprint shared by members of the same species, represented by DNA.
- Individual person's biological inheritance: This is the unique genetic code passed down from parents to offspring.
Learning: This encompasses experiences that lead to relatively permanent changes in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
- It is the process through which individuals acquire knowledge and skills based on their interactions with the environment.

Biological Influences: Maturation

Gesell: observed the development of various motor skills in infants such as sitting, standing, and crawling, and concluded that these skills emerge in a predictable pattern, supporting the idea of a maturational process driven by biological factors.
Jean Piaget: Proposed that cognitive development occurs through a series of stages driven by maturational processes.
Lawrence Kohlberg: Developed a maturational model for moral development, suggesting that moral reasoning progresses across stages determined by biological factors.

Research on Twin Studies: Separating Nature and Nurture

Comparing the traits of identical twins (who share 100% of their genetic code) and fraternal twins (who share 50% of their genetic code) helps to determine the relative contributions of genes and environment.
Concordance Rate: This is the percentage of pairs of people where both members of the pair display the same trait, even if only one member of the pair actually has it.
Studying identical twins, raised together or apart, reveals that they exhibit more similar intelligence test scores compared to fraternal twins or siblings raised together. This suggests that genetics play a crucial role in intelligence.
This research methodology, analyzing twin pairs, allows researchers to separate genetic from environmental influences without directly measuring genes.

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Description

Explore the contrasting theories of child development by Arnold Gesell and John Watson. This quiz examines the extent to which nature and nurture shape personality and growth. Delve into concepts like maturation and environmental influences that define developmental psychology.