Describe three examples that show nature and nurture can interact to influence development.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Explanations that rely on nature point to inborn genetic traits (heredity), maturational processes, and evolution as causes of developmental change. For example, most infants take their first steps at roughly the same age, suggesting a maturational trend that supports the role of nature in development. An alternative explanation for developmental change is nurture, the view that individuals are molded by the physical and social environment in which they are raised, including the home, school, workplace, neighborhood, and society. From this perspective, although most begin to walk at about the same time, environmental conditions can speed up or slow down the process. Infants who experience malnutrition may walk later than well-nourished infants, and those who are given practice making stepping or jumping movements may walk earlier.
Although developmental scientists once attempted to determine whether development depended on nature or nurture, most now agree that both nature and nurture are important contributors. Thus, walking is heavily influenced by maturation (nature), but experiences and environmental conditions can influence the timing of a child's first steps (nurture). Today developmental scientists attempt to determine how nature and nurture interact and work together to influence how people grow and change throughout life.