Nature versus nurture in human development

Nature vs. Nurture

This paper argues that my affinity for basketball is the result of both heredity and environment. Being good at the playing basketball requires certain traits, including physical agility, speed, strength, hand-eye coordination, and so forth, as well as intangible characteristics such as mental toughness, work ethic, basketball IQ etc. There is ongoing debate as to whether the influence of heredity or environment is greater in determining basketball skill, and this paper examines that debate from the perspective of genetics and evolution.

My genetic heritage, or genoytype, includes DNA contributions from both parents. These coded instructions determine my phenotype, the observable characteristics I display. Together they account for my basketball abilities.

While it seems straightforward to argue that genetics determine many physical basketball skills, my environment was also a factor. I grew up watching basketball games with my father, and shooting hoops in the driveway and at the park. So my understanding of the game, my work ethic and my love of the game were more than likely influenced by my environment.

The question is far from settled however as to the respective roles of heredity and environment. Exciting research is being conducted. An article by the Association for Psychological Science describes research efforts by Scarr and McCartney into genotype-environment (GE) correlation. The article, describing the work of Scarr and McCartney, posits that

"There are three types of GE correlation: passive, evocative, and active. The passive type occurs because children passively inherit from their parents' family environments that are correlated with their genetic propensities. The evocative type happens because individuals evoke reactions from other people on the basis of their genetic propensities. The active type occurs because individuals select, modify, construct, or reconstruct in memory experiences that are correlated with their genetic propensities." (The Nature of Nurture, 2010).

How does one know if a behavior, in this case basketball skill, has a biological basis? An article by the Human Genome Project Information provides the following criteria:

"Behavior often is species specific.

Behaviors breed true in successive generations of organisms.

Behaviors change in response to alterations in biological structures.

Some behaviors run in human families

Behavior has an evolutionary history that persists across species." (McInerney, 2008).

One means of testing this hypothesis would be by conducting a research study. McInerney describes the traditional research strategies used in behavioral genetics, studies of twins and adoptees, techniques that are designed to sort biological from environmental influences (2008). Investigators have also added the search for pieces of DNA associated with particular behaviors.

One twin study reported by Harden, Turkheimer, and Loehlin (2006) found that shared environmental influences were stronger for adolescents from poorer homes, while genetic influences were stronger for more affluent homes. Harden et al. concluded that environmental differences between middle- to upper-class families influence the expression of genetic potential for intelligence (2006). One could argue then, that environmental factors similarly affect the expression of basketball smarts.