Nature vs Nurture Essay - 778 Words

Nature vs Nurture Most of us have an intuition that, although our genes provide advantages and constraints, we retain great control over our lives. However, we are developing a second, competing intuition that, like it or not, our genes determine our abilities, our preferences, and our emotions. We would like to think we are much more than the sum of our genes, but scientists have apparently demonstrated that our genes determine some of our most complex behavioral and cognitive characteristics. The focus on genes as the primary mode of biological explanation has been especially clear in the marketing of the Human Genome Project. In support of this project, Robert L. Sinsheimer, biologist and former chancellor at the University of†¦show more content†¦1987), and alcoholism (Gelernter et al. 1991). Authors of two studies claiming to have found a gene for manic-depression (in two different places), have both published retractions of their conclusions (Barron et al. 1993, Kelsoe et al. 1989), unusual and embarrassing events among scientists. Research in linking genes to complex human mental and behavioral characteristics has been tremendously successful in molding public opinion, in he absence of much lasting scientific evidence. The relationship between a gene and a human behaviour is rarely, if ever, a one-to-one correspondence, even though disruption of a single gene occasionally has a dramatic effect on behaviour. Nor can one quantify the contribution of genes as a whole to any particular behavior or cognitive ability. Instead, each gene is a single player in an intricate story, involving non-additive interactions of genes, proteins, hormones, food and life experiences, thus leading to effects one variety of cognitive and behavioural functions. Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors certainly have biological mechanisms, but this does not mean we can separate and quantify the genetic contributions to these processes. References: Baron, M., N. Risch, R. Hamburger, B. Mandel, S. Kushner, M.Newman, D. Drumer, and R.H. Belmaker. 1987. Genetic Linkage Between X-Chromosome Markers and BipolarShow MoreRelatedNature Vs Nurture : Is The Nature Or Nurture?1300 Words   |  6 PagesAoS 3: Student Directed Research Investigation Unit 1 Psychology - Megan Rodrigues RESEARCH QUESTION How is the nature vs nurture debate related to a consideration of the mental disorder, schizophrenia? INTRODUCTION Schizophrenia is categorized by thoughts or experiences that seem abnormal with reality, disorganized speech or behaviour and decreased participation in regular daily activities. Difficulty with memory and concentration are sometimes also present. The two hit hypothesis generally refersRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Nature Or Nurture874 Words   |  4 Pages Nature or Nurture. Nature may be all of the genes and hereditary factors with which influence them to become who they are such as physical appearances and personality characteristics. Nurturing impacts people’s lives as well as how they are raised and all the environmental factors. In combination, these qualities can be the true identity of oneself. Many people may argue that nurture appears to a play huge factor in the two, but others may think otherwise. Not having both as a characteristic canRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Nature And Nurture1821 Words   |  8 PagesNature and nurture are usually seen as very different things, but they are actually somewhat similar and even integrated. There is a huge debate over which holds more influence over how people develop and whether they behave based on genes or their environment. In Sincero’s article Nature and Nurture Debate she discusses arguments for both sides, saying behavior may be completely in a person’s genes, or it could come from experience and influence. Many people believe â€Å"that the criminal acts, tendencyRead MoreNature And Nurture : Nature Vs. Nurture1780 Words   |  8 PagesAs Nature Made Him: Nature vs. Nurture Human behavior is determined by both biological and environmental factors. Psychologists are interested in learning which of these factors is a greater influence on human behavior and identity. Although psychologists today generally agree that both nature and nurture play a role in conditioning behavior, there is still disagreement about the part that each of the factors have in determining behavior. The nature versus nurture debate focuses around the extentRead MoreNature Vs Nurture : Nature And Nurture1821 Words   |  8 Pages Nature and nurture are usually seen as very different things, but they are actually somewhat similar and even integrated. There is a huge debate over which holds more influence over how people develop and whether they behave based on genes or their environment. In Sincero’s article Nature and Nurture Debate she discusses arguments for both sides, saying behavior may be completely in a person’s genes, or it could come from experience and influe nce. Many people believe â€Å"that the criminal acts, tendencyRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : Nurture1405 Words   |  6 PagesDecember 2015 Nature vs. Nurture Very few people know that the nature vs. nurture debate actually began early on with famous Greek philosophers such as Plato and Descartes. These two theorized that certain things were inborn and occurred naturally regardless of environmental factors (Cherry 1). Most people began to witness this debate in 1896 when the phrase â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture† was coined by English polymath, Francis Galton (â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture†Origins 1). At this point the nature vs. nurture debate grewRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : Nurture901 Words   |  4 Pagestime the proverbial nature vs. nurture question has sparked quite a debate. I hold the belief that nature vs. nurture is a zero-sum game. We essentially enter this existence, a lump of clay that needs molding in order to take form. So, I believe my creative abilities can be attributed to the sum of our genetic predisposition, the nurture of our mind, and the dynamic of both nature and nurture, with nurture being the predominant influencing factor. In psychology, nature refers to the inheritedRead MoreNature Vs Nurture And Nurture1777 Words   |  8 Pagesformed and cultivated through nature or nurture. This psychological anomaly is why I am writing this paper. Ever since I have enrolled in, and taken, a psychology class during my junior year, I have questioned whether every little emotion and action is because of nature or nurture. No topic is more widely explored and researched than morality. It cannot be scientifically or psychologically proven or tested, making any claim highly controversial. This idea, of nature vs nurture, that I had previously researchedRead MoreThe Nature Vs. Nurture1463 Words   |  6 PagesT What can we define as Human Nature and Nurture? The Nature vs. Nurture has been a long never ending debate for some time now. Nature vs Nurture has been so profoundly debated, that now it’s unclear whether what makes us who we are and what we do, nature or nurture. For purposes of this essay Nature is going to be defined as characteristics we acquire through our genetic and biological factors, while that Nurture is going to be defined characteristics we acquire through our interactions and influencesRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture : Nature Versus Nurture1337 Words   |  6 PagesNature vs. Nurture There are many different ways that behavior can be explained, especially on the terms of nature vs. nurture. Aggression is a behavior that has been extensively analyzed in a complex manner and the causes of it can be explained many different ways. Aggression can be defined as hostile or destructive behavior that can cause injury or destructive outlook especially when caused by frustration. Nature can be defined as aspects of behavior that have been inherited or are genetic, while

The Internet And Its Effect On Society - 1553 Words

Abstract This research paper is about the Internet. I choose to write a Qualitative essay because the Internet has a myriad of information to speak on. Moreover, using the Qualitative research method over the Quantitative research gave me a chance to become more knowledgeable in exactly what I was writing on. It also gave me a chance to understand and become more aware of the topic to write a great essay. Additionally, when I looked at the numerical data from the Quantitative research the information I was reading was not clear at all. My paper was based on contextual dependence, in depth meaning, and research process inductively. Throughout the world, the internet continues to have significant effect on society. Many argue that the†¦show more content†¦Social networking has also made it easier to be carefree and human by possibly finding romance and potentially meeting a husband or wife on any social network. Lastly, social media can also be used when you opt to participate in a social network community, also you can pick and choose those individuals whose likes and dislikes are similar to yours and build your network around those commonalities. The internet is filled with an enormous wide spread of education. Knowledge is truly power, being educated is possibly one of the greatest joys a person can ever receive. People browse internet for information using popular search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing to know about any necessary information. One of the most famous searches last year 2014 was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, this made a lot of people more aware of the life threatening disease. This also allowed the ALS awareness organization to Ice Bucket Donations Continue to Rise: $94.3 Million since July 29 of 2014. Moreover, various websites such as Khan Academy, Math Way, and W3Schools offers a myriad of online courses to learn various things like designing, programming, engineering, medical, finance and other subjects. Entertainment is one of the internet most popular browsing reasons as well. The Internet has had an ardent impact on entertainment. People have been able to gain a myriad of access to it on the desktop computers within their own homes, and more recently on portable devices such

Math Perceptions of Taiwanese and American children Example For Students

Math Perceptions of Taiwanese and American children The objective of this article critique is to review and evaluate several empirical studies which have examined mathematics perception cross-culturally. The main study that focuses on examining mathematics perception cross-culturally is a study that was done in 2004 by Dr. Yea-Ling Tsao. In this study, researchers proved that Taiwanese students consistently score higher in cross-national studies of achievement than American students. Several other studies were done that also support this theory. Therefore, the main purpose of this article critique is to evaluate Tsaos study in order to properly assess both the validity of Tsaos design and the inferences drawn from the study. This critique will also show that, while different studies were done at different times, researchers still have come up with one consistent hypothesis: American students are constantly scoring below the national average in academic testing. In order for Tsao to complete her study, she came up with specific research questions and hypotheses for her study. The study done in 2004 was to determine why is it that Chinese students are constantly amongst the top scorers in cross-national studies of achievement and American students are constantly below the national average. Dr. Yea-Ling Tsao gives an example early on in her article about how different studies have shown that American students are consistently performing poorly on tests of mathematics and science. She also gives an example of how in a recent national study of mathematics achievement, American students in the middle school grades were performing lower than the national average in problem solving, geometry, algebra, calculus, and other areas of mathematics. In contrast, Japanese students from the same grade level had significantly higher average scores. In this study, Dr. Yea-Ling Tsao is trying to understand the reasons for the different perceptions of mathematics of Taiwanese children compared to American children. Tsao is concerned in taking a deeper look at the cross-cultural differences in mathematics perception and attitudes of younger children. Those tested were 21 students in Denver, Colorado, and 37 students in Taipei, Taiwan. The researchers main concern in the study was to determine if attitudes and beliefs have a noticeable effect on American students performance in mathematics. In order to obtain answers to this problem, the researcher felt that it would be necessary to compare American students to Taiwanese students. The researchers main concern was to investigate differences in math perception between those students scoring highly versus those students scoring poorly on national exams. The researcher thought that the solution would be due to cross-cultural differences in achievement. For this particular study, a survey including 39 closed questions (developed by Alan Schoenfeld in 1989) was used. All items on the survey were in the form of a seven point rating scale, with 1 being strongly agree and 7 being strongly disagree. The questionnaire was determined to be extremely consistent with an alpha of 0. 468. The survey contained questions associated to students perception of what mathematics is and how to do well in it, what mathematics solutions should be, how math problems can be solved, how mathematics is learned, and student motivation. For the first 33 questions, the students were asked to rate them on the seven point scale described above. The last six questions on the survey dealt with grades, gender, and perception of the childrens parents attitudes towards mathematics. The researcher also used a two-tail t-test to compare the mathematical perceptions of Chinese and American students. The average of each cateogry in the survey was also compared. As stated above, there were six main categories being compared: what mathematics is, how to do well in it, what mathematics solutions should be, how math problems can be solved, how mathematics is learned, and student motivation positive vs. negative. During the study, Tsao had to deal with different quality control issues. The two cities, Taipei and Denver, are very comparable in size and demographics. Researchers chose Denver due to the residents coming from native-born, English-speaking, economically fit families. Researchers chose elementary school children as the subject for the study for two reasons. First, the researchers wanted to know if cross-cultural differences in achievement emerged during early years of schooling (Tsao 2004). Tsao also focused on elementary school students to achieve some understanding of the early background of the large differences that appear later in middle and senior high school (2004). For this study, a small sample was used in order to complete the study: one classroom from two public schools (one located in Denver; the other located in Taipei). Close examination of afterwards By Thomas Hardy EssayTherefore, similar to Tsaos study, scores of the American children present a consistent decline compared to those of the Chinese and Japanese children. Another study that is similar to Tsaos study is a study done in 1990 by Stevenson, Lee, and this time, Chuansheng Chen. The researchers returned to the same school as in 1980, the year of the original study, and tested a third sample of fifth graders. Again, Japanese children were found to be consistently more advanced than their American cohorts. The difference between the performance of the Japanese and American children was actually greater in 1990 than in 1980. Clearly, researchers have consistently found that East-Asian children seem to always out-perform American children in mathematics achievement (Tsao 2004, Stevenson, Stigler, Lee 1986, Chen). Different students from different cultures are raised differentlythats what makes a culture a culture. Within Tsaos study, researchers found that there are quite a few differences in the students attitudes and beliefs of the two cultures toward mathematics and in the parents attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics. There are many different reasons as to why there is such a vast difference in mathematics achievement between the two cultures. For example, Dr. Tsao points out that it could be a negative attitude of the American culture that could be producing the low international achievement scores in mathematics. But this isnt something that is going to be easily fixable. Like Tsao points out, the whole negative motivation of American children stems from different cultural values and systems, which comes from differences in the amount of investment of children, parents, and teachers in the learning of mathematics. The latter is likely to be the most crucial foundation of the mathematical ability differences when comparing East Asian and U. S. children. Researchers also felt a need to look at the mathematics classrooms in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. There was a study done in 1987 to offer objective and concrete data on the organization and behavior of classroom activities. This study was done on 20 fifth-grade classroom in three locations: Minneapolis, Japan, and Taiwan. Researchers James W. Stigler, Shin-Ying Lee, and Harold W. Stevenson decided to observe the activities being completed in the mathematics classrooms. Large cross-cultural differences were found in many variables related to classroom structure and management. These vast differences paralleled diversity in achievement in mathematics among the three countries. A large number of these variables were very much related to the average level of mathematics achievement within the American classrooms. Based on the research that has been examined, it is clear to me how important it is to incorporate different cultures in the classroom. Every child is different and every child learns differently. Mathematics is important, yes, but is it more important than being artistic in school? Every student that is a part of your classroom is going to be unique, both personality-wise and learning style-wise. Students learn things in different ways, and as educators, we should able to recognize this and embrace it. This study can also provide teachers an opportunity to understand their students math perception. By recognizing that cultures may have different opinions about mathematics and education, teachers can better appreciate their students. This study can also be beneficial because if the teacher recognizes and understands the students perceptions, she can offer individualized teaching styles for students when needed. After evaluating these studies, I do feel that future study is necessary is future study is most likely going on right now. If I could design a study to test the research findings further, I would design a study for parents and care-givers. The category of care-givers would include anyone that had anything to do with the growth and education of a child. Parents are of a huge interest to me because they are essentially where the learning begins for a child. If we start off the research on the parents, and then maybe work our way down to teachers and so on, then researchers will know exactly where the different perceptions come from. All of the studies that were analyzed were given to young subjects. While we do need the relevancy of young children, we also need to see the effect of the parent and care-givers of the young children. As we all know, most thoughts and perceptions of children stem from their parents thoughts and perceptions. That is why it is absolutely vital for researchers to first study how children are taught and who better to show this than their parents.