Nature Nurture Essays

Nature Nurture Essays Nature Nurture Essay Nature Nurture Essay Is a childs development influenced primarily by genetics and biological predisposition? Or, could the majority of influence be found in the childs environment? This nature/nurture question is possibly one of the oldest theories debated in psychology (Bee, 2004). Today, it is commonly accepted that most aspects of a childs development are a product of the interaction of both nurture and nature (Bee). Both sides of the nature/nurture argument present compelling evidence of how each factor impacts development. It is no longer a question of whether it is nature or nurture, which influence development, but more importantly in what ways, and to what extent. The Impact of Nature on Development Nature, which is also known as heredity, is the genetic code you are born with. It is passed on to you from your parents. Some examples of nature or heredity could be your height, behavior, and IQ just to name a few. The issue of nature having a great impact on a childs development can be illustrated in the studies of twins. Flanagan (2002) explored the Minnesota study in which a set of twins was raised separately. In one case, a set of identical twins was raised apart, known as the Jim twins. They did not meet until they were almost forty and had many similarities even though they were raised apart. There was no real explanation for all their similarities except that nature must play a crucial role in development. The Minnesota twin study concluded that on multiple measures of personality and temperament, occupational and leisure-time interests and social attitudes, mono-zygotic twins reared apart are about as similar as are mono-zygotic twins reared together (Flanagan). This is a prime example that nature plays a significant role in our development. Another example of nature is the study of adopted babies. Families with adopted children share the same environment, but not the same genetic code (Flanagan, 2002). The Texas Adoption Project found little similarity between adopted children and their siblings, and greater similarity between adopted children and their biological parents (Flanagan). This example also shows how important the role of nature plays on a childs development. Knowing that nature plays a role in a childs development, educators can use this to determine possible disabilities. For example, if two parents have a reading disability, it is more likely that their child may develop a reading disability as well. It gives teachers a heads up on what to look out for. This can help educators be proactive and intervene at earlier ages. The Impact of Nurture on Development The influence of a persons environment on their behavior is a very commonly accepted factor. The question is how much can the environment affect the behavior and abilities of a person. Some basic factors such as nutrition can be shown to have an important influence on the abilities of a person. It has also been demonstrated that fears, through the experiences of children, can be learned. Most importantly, some behaviors, if not learned from the environment, will never develop. Environment plays a significant role in development as humans. When considering a persons environment in influencing ability, nutrition plays an important example. In one study, a group of children were given vitamin and mineral supplements for eight months. They were given intelligence tests before and after the eight-month treatment. The result was improvements in scores as compared to another group whom we not given vitamin and mineral supplements (Nature vs. Nurture, 2001). The results suggest that environment plays a role in the intellectual ability of people. It is not an illogical leap to understand this will probably extend to physical abilities as well. Another example of environmental influences in the behavior of people comes from a study done to an infant of 11 months. The infant was subjected to a terrible noise whenever he attempted to touch a white rat in the room with him. The child later displayed fear whenever he came in contact with anything white or furry (Nature vs. Nurture, 2001). A last example of environmental influences in behavior comes from France in 1799. A boy of 12 or 13 was found running with wolves. When he was discovered he was brought back into society. He never developed as a normal human and had tremendous difficulties in society (Nature vs. Nurture, 2001). This suggests that much of what we consider human behavior is socially learned. While no one would suggest that nurture is the only factor that needs to be considered in discussing behavior, it is definitely a significant factor in how we behave as humans. By ignoring the environment, we would miss a large part of what shapes and guides us in life. In conclusion, both sides of the nature/nurture debate present evidence which supports its impact on development. Studies have shown that heredity is a major factor in developmental similarities among twins raised separately (Flanagan 2002). Studies have also shown that nutrition plays a significant role in cognitive development (Nature vs. Nurture, 2001). Most experts agree that most aspects of a childs development are a product of the interaction of both nurture and nature (Bee, 2004). Interestingly, in recent years, new technology has enabled scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the genetic component of development, increasing interest on this side of the debate (Bee). Although no longer an all or nothing issue, the extent to which nature and nurture affect development will likely be debated for years to come. References Bee, Helen (2004). Child and adolescent development (Section 1, pp. 3). Retrieved July 28, 2004, from University of Phoenix website: www. myresource. phoenix. edu Flanagan, C. (2002). Nature and nurture: why are siblings so different? Psychology Review, 8(3), 23. Retrieved July 28, 2004, from the InfoTrac Database. Nature vs. Nurture (2001). Planet Papers. Retrieved July 28, 2004, from the World Wide Web: planetpapers. com/Assets/3492. php

Meaning of Baron Through Medieval Times and After

Meaning of Baron Through Medieval Times and After In the Middle Ages, baron was a title of honor given to any nobleman who pledged his loyalty and service to a superior in return for land that he could pass on to his heirs. The monarch was usually the superior in question, although each baron could parcel out some of his land to subordinate barons. Read on the learn about the etymology of the term and how the title has changed over the centuries. The Origins of Baron The term baron is an Old French, or Old Frankish, a word that means man or servant. This Old French term derives from the Late Latin word, baro. Barons in Medieval Times Baron was a hereditary title that arose in the Middle Ages that was given men who offered his loyalty in exchange for land. Thus, barons usually possessed a fief. During this time period, there was no specific rank associated with the title. Barons existed in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Decline of the Baron Title In France, King Louis XIV diminished the prestige of the baron title by making numerous men barons, thus cheapening the name.   In Germany, the equivalent of a baron was freiherr, or free lord. Freiherr at first connoted a dynastic status, but eventually, the more influential freiherrs  rebranded themselves as counts. Thus, the freiherr title came to mean a low class of nobility.   The baron title was abolished in Italy in 1945 and in Spain in 1812. Modern Usage Barons are still a term used by certain governments. Today a baron is a title of nobility ranking just below that of a viscount. In countries where there are no viscounts, a baron ranks just below a count.

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR - Assignment Example This is the stance of management ever since. Any marketing plan should begin with consumer and satisfying its wants because that is the only justification for the existence of a store, the Electro store for that matter. Electro Store should be able to understand the consumer’s needs, wants, desires, preferences, beliefs and other odd behaviors in order to win the customer. It is therefore the responsibility of Electro store to learn as much as possible these factors of potential customers. There are sociological factors that influence household purchasing decisions; these are cohesion, adaptability and communication. Cohesion is defined as the emotional bonding between family members. It measures how close to each other feel on an emotional level. It reflects a sense of connectedness to or separateness to other family members. Buying decisions are greatly influenced by the member of the family. There is no question that the bulk of household purchases are made by women, but major decisions like buying a car, appliances, or real property are jointly done by the husband and wife, and sometimes with consultation with children. A joint decision only shows cohesiveness of the family. Therefore when the buying decision is done the family as a group – the role of the marketers is to target the family through their marketing campaigns. Adaptability is described as the ability of the family to change its power, role, relationships, and relationship rules in response to situational and developmental stress. The degree of adaptability shows how well a family can meet the challenges presented by the situation. These challenges can come from reference groups that have the potentials of influencing behavior. Reference groups are groups of individuals that one interacts often. Examples are friends, family relatives, and co-workers. They have the potentials of influencing behavior. For example, if the product is visible like car, shoes or