heredity versus environment

A notion that was widespread among pioneer biologists in the 18th century was that the fetus, and hence the adult organism that develops from it, is preformed in the sex cells. Some early microscopists even imagined that they saw…

…experiments to dissect the “nature versus nurture” aspects of human intelligence and behaviour have involved studies of twins, both monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal). Cognitive or behavioral characteristics that are entirely under genetic control would be predicted to be the same, or concordant, in monozygotic twins, who share identical…

…relative importance of “nature,” or genetic predisposition, and “nurture,” or environment, in the development of behaviour. Through extensive observation and experimentation, biologists have come to recognize that the argument is futile. Ultimately, both are important, and the interesting questions lie in how genetic predisposition and the environment interact. The environment…

…concerned the relative importance of genetic endowment and environment, or “nature” and “nurture,” in determining development during infancy and childhood. Most researchers came to recognize, however, that it is the interaction of inborn biological factors with external factors, rather than the mutually exclusive action or predominance of one or the…

…of which is more important, heredity or environment, is without meaning. Both nature (heredity) and nurture (environment) are always important for every human attribute.

…they are randomly distributed across environments (often a dubious assumption), then the twins would have in common all of their genes but none of their environment, except for chance environmental overlap. As a result, the correlation between their performance on intelligence tests could identify any possible link between test scores…

…of sensing or perceiving at birth. In its modern form, the problem of learned versus innate factors in sensory experience is studied in terms of the extent to which the genetically determined structure and function of sense organs and brain depend upon stimulation and experience for their proper maturation. Sensory…

…elucidate the relative importance of heredity versus environment in the development of certain diseases, in the formation of the personality, and in intelligence. Such studies have, for example, demonstrated a strong genetic component in the development of schizophrenia, mental depression, and obesity, as well as in the susceptibility to such…