Nature vs. Nurture is a very controversial topic when it comes to intelligence. If children are given the same circumstances, no matter their race, they have an equal chance of success. Child parent interactions differ with socio-economic status. Black children hear 10 million words by age 3 while white children hear 20 million words by age 3. This is affected by the environment the children are brought up in. If a child is brought up in a household with a single parent it can also affect their intelligence. Teachers can shape the way a child learns as shown by Rosenthal's classroom experiment. I think a person can unconsciously favor a certain person over another. For example a teacher might be more likely to call on people on the right hand side of the classroom because she is right handed.
I think that a child is shaped the most by their environment. A child could be predisposed to certain genes but the situations in that child's life might never cause that gene to be used. The friends a child has growing up I think can also affect how they behave later in life. Everyone grows up with different parents and friends and their different life experiences makes them unique.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI agree that good teachers do make a difference in their students lives, but more importantly, they can make a difference to those who don't have a role model to look up to. I also agree that the friends we surround ourselves with can determine how intelligent we may develop to become. Both convey the point that our environment really does create our identity and intellectual progress.
Interesting perspective, Laura. Some of the research findings you've mentioned show us just how important is the role the environment plays in shaping many aspects of our lives.
ReplyDeleteLaura, you make a good point. Many of us run into issues with the fundamental attribution error, overestimating the influence of personal character while underestimating the influence of environment. Socioeconomic status is confounded with race in this country; factors such as prenatal care, family composition (such as single parent households), access to educational materials and opportunities, and the number of words spoken to a child have later implications for intelligence.
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