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Nature Versus Nurture

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Behavioral genetics; Biology versus environment; Maturation versus enculturation

Definition

Nature versus nurture is the debate regarding the influence of genetics/biology and environment on human development and behavioral characteristics.

Introduction

Are humans inherently good or bad and intelligent or unintelligent? Are humans born with certain traits, characteristics, and knowledge, or are these developed through experiences? These questions are at the center of the nature versus nurture debate, stemming back as far as 400 B.C.E. Nature versus nurture is the dispute regarding the contributions of biological and environmental factors on human development. Nature encompasses genetic, biological, and hereditary factors that are innately present in humans, whereas nurture refers to those external, environmental factors that influence human development after conception, including childhood experiences and social relationships. Francis Galton, who coined the phrase nature...

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References

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Correspondence to Rebeca Mireles-Rios .

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Harris, P., Mireles-Rios, R. (2019). Nature Versus Nurture. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1301-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1301-1

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