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IV. Critical Assessment Recommendations
The nature-nurture debate is an intriguing one but is also one that has no clear result. The issue has been debated by the leading experts in all the various fields of study and, yet, the debate continues. The debate transcends the determination of what color eyes one has and who and what determines this issue. Matters of this sort can be resolved through a simple genetics study but it goes into issues such as why some individuals prefer playing sports over playing music or why some people prefer Coke over Pepsi. Such examples may seem overly simplistic but they demonstrate the essence of the debate. Are such preferences the result of a genetic disposition or parental influence? The simple answer is that there is no clear cut answer as to the question. Hair color, facial features, and other such physical characteristics may be tied to genetics but when the issue turns to more subtle features such as personality, intelligence, and day-to-day behavior the effect of nature and nurture becomes far less clear. Scientists once believed that the study of genes and DNA would ultimately answer the question of nature and nurture but despite years of research using the most sophisticated testing procedures available the debate continues. Today, little progress toward a definitive answer as to the relative contribution of genes and environment has been made but, nevertheless, expect the debates and research to continue. Despite the fact that little progress has been made the issue still intrigues everyone.
As the debate continues the best that anyone can do is to maintain an open mind. From what has been discovered and discussed, it is becoming increasingly more apparent that the development of each individual is a complex process that is influenced by a great number of factors and that, at least for the present, such factors defy precise measurement. For the present, at least, development must be understood on this basis.
References
Allen, G.E. (2001). Is a New Eugenics Afoot? Science, 59-61.
Collins, W.A. And Eleanore E. Maccoby, Laurence Steinberg, E. Mavis Hetherington, Marc H. Bornstein (2000). Contemporary research on parenting: The case for nature and nurture. American Psychologist, 218-232.
Colt, G.H. (1998, April). Were You Born That Way? Life Magazine, pp. 40-48.
Erikson, E.H. (1968). Identity, Youth, and Crisis. New York: Norton.
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