EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES…EXPLAINING SIMILARITIES

NATURE VS NURTURE

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.”

Nehru

CONSIDER DOLLY….

Would a human clone’s adult personality mimic the person donating the genetic code? -or-Would he/she be unique?

NATURE

• When biology determines behavior• Tower of London• Explains why people who are related to each other- resemble each other

RECESSIVE VS. DOMINANT GENES

Recessive genes= two recessive genes must be paired to produce characteristicDominant genes= need no pairing. produce characteristic every time

GENES DO NOT ALWAYS INFLUENCE LIFE DIRECTLY

PKU

EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY

Farm Fox Experiment Dmitry Belyaev1959- Estonia30- male100- female45,000 foxes later…

CHANGES TO THE FOX..

•Pigment•Shorter tails (less bushy)•Changes to skull•Significant increase in tameness

HOW ALIKE ARE WE?

98.4% like Chimpanzees

THE IMPORTANCE OF TWIN STUDIES…

• Identical twins reared apart (separated at birth)studied to see the effect of environment. • Adopted fraternal twins studied to see the effect of inheritance.

WHAT DOES RESEARCH SUGGEST?

Identical Twins Separated

• Values• Interests• Motor skills• Reading, spelling,

writing• Intelligence• Medical issues• Personality

Adopted Twins

AttitudeMannersFaithPoliticsWork ethic

TEMPERAMENT= YOUR GENETIC PERSONALITY

•The easy child•The difficult child•The slow-to-warm-up child

NURTURE

Is your brain hard-wired and unchangeable- or does the environment actually produces changes in the brain?

It depends….

MALE PATTERN BALDNESS=100%

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES IN WOMEN=30%

ENVIRONMENT IS COMPLEX

•Culture= similarities/diversity•Circumstances•Economics•Opportunities•Skills learned

CRITICAL PERIODS

•Time when we are especially sensitive to learning •Begins and ends abruptly•Beyond this period, growth will not occur

IMPRINTING =RAPID, PERMENANT LEARNING

•Confined to a “definite” time period•Irreversible•Long-term consequences•Konrad Lorenz

PRENATAL INFLUENCES..

• Teratogens•Congenital problems• Fetal Alcohol syndrome

GENDER…

Your biggest environmental influence?