Heredity, Environment and Intelligence

Abstract

The interaction of a biological structure with an environment in which to function is a necessary prerequisite for the production of behaviour. Without a biological structure no behaviour is possible; without an environment which provides the stimulation and the context, no response can be displayed. Each of us is a unique person, an amalgam of inherited genetic material and environmental influences. A basic theme and controversial issue throughout the history of psychology has been the debate and investigation of the relative roles of heredity and environment in the creation of individual differences. Despite beliefs that men ought to be born equal they are not. Every person possesses a unique set of genetic material endowing them with variations in aptitude, physical development, and capacities, which in turn are acted on by their interpretation of unique environmental experiences some of which even influence the organism prenatally.