第四部分任务型阅读(共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)
Man has been studying the influence of nature and nurture on human development. Nature refers to the biological factors in a human. Essentially, it’s the genetic makeup of an individual. These are the genes that we were born with and that cannot be altered with conditioning. Traits such as hair color and type, eye color and height form a part of what is called “nature”. Disorders and diseases that are inherited (遗传) genetically also form a part of this view. On the other hand, nurture refers to the environmental factors and influences, along with an individual’s personal experiences. This includes the childhood experiences, relationships with friends, families, neighbors and colleagues, events, and so on.
Which one plays a more important role in an individual’s development, nature or nurture? Actually, they interact together in our developmental process and we can’t ignore the existence of one in favor of the other. Our genetic makeup gives us our physical characteristics. Along with it, certain underlying traits are also heritable. For example, behavioral traits like what language we speak, how we interact with others, and how we respond to certain situations are all molded by “nurture”—this is obvious because the environment we’re brought up in shapes these factors over time. But it’s also noted that some of these traits are partially heritable. For instance, aggressive behavior is something partially received from genes. But if the person grew up in an aggressive family environment, or had friends who displayed aggressive behavior, then he / she will eventually become very aggressive.
In the case of intelligence, there are studies which show environmental factors have a bigger hand in molding childhood IQ. But by adulthood, this correlation (关联) is almost absent. They reveal that by adulthood, the difference in IQ among adoptive siblings (兄弟姐妹) may make them seem like strangers, despite the shared environment they grew up in. In natural siblings on the other hand, there is a correlation of about 0.6. In the twin studies, it is showed that identical twin has a higher correlation (about 0.86). This seems to suggest that nature plays a bigger role in shaping intelligence.
But we cannot rule out nurture entirely. For example, nutrition plays an important role in shaping intelligence. If a child isn’t put on a proper diet from the beginning, then his / her neural (神经的) connections get disrupted, which leaves him / her mentally challenged. If a child often feels stressed and is exposed to poisonous things, his / her intellectual growth will also be affected. A person may have natural talents, but if he / she wasn’t brought up in the right surroundings, his / her potential may never be realized. On the contrary, even someone with lower genetic inheritance of intellect may be nurtured in a rich educational environment and may be able to develop their original potentials.
Nature vs. nurture: which decides your behavior? |
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Concept of nature |
● Nature refers to a person’s inherent genes that always remain . ● One’s traits and some disorders and diseases are heritable. |
Concept of nurture |
● Nurture refers to the environment one is brought up in. ● Childhood experiences, interpersonal relationships and events all are of it. |
Effects of nature and nurture |
● Nature and nurture are both important for a person’s development. ● Though some behavioral traits are inherited genetically, they can be changed by the environment the person grows up in. ● For example, aggressive behavior, partially inherited, will become more if it’s somehow cultivated. |
Effects of nature on intelligence |
● According to studies, the effects of nature on intelligence with the person aging. ● However, this doesn’t mean that nature has no effects on intelligence; instead, it plays a bigger part in the of intelligence. |
Effects of nurture on intelligence |
● An diet can disrupt the development of intelligence. ● Stress and to poisonous things can affect intellectual growth. ● Sometimes whether one’s potentials can be realized is partly on what environment he/ she lives or studies in. |