As psychologist David S. Moore explains in his newest book, The Developing Genome , this burgeoning field reveals that what counts is not what genes you have so much as what your genes are doing. Factors like stress, nutrition, and exposure to toxins all play a role in how genes are expressed—essentially which genes are turned on or off. Unlike the static conception of nature or nurture, epigenetic research demonstrates how genes and environments continuously interact to produce characteristics throughout a lifetime.
We spoke with Moore to find out more about the science of epigenetics, its impact on the nature versus nurture debate, and the hopes and cautions that come with such a potentially revolutionary line of research. Evan Nesterak: How does the science of epigenetics change the seemingly age-old nature versus nurture debate?
David Moore: For the longest time, the nature-nurture debate has been cast as a kind of contest between genes and experiences. The thought was that we might have some characteristics that are caused primarily by genetic factors and other characteristics that are caused primarily by experiential factors. Nature and nurture are always working together to produce all of our traits. EN: Can you describe a study that you feel illustrates the science of epigenetics?
These researchers watched how rat mothers interacted with their babies. They discovered that some mothers naturally lick and groom their baby rats more than other mothers do.
They also noticed that the mothers that licked and groomed their rats the most wound up with offspring that grew up to be adults that were less stressed out when they were put into mildly stressful situations. The mothers that licked and groomed their baby rats less wound up with offspring that were more stressed out. In order to determine if this was an effect of experience, the researchers cross fostered the baby rats, so the ones born to the high licking and grooming mothers were raised by the low licking and grooming mothers.
What they found was that it was the perinatal experience that made all the difference. So the question was, how can it be that these kinds of early experiences can have these long-term effects later on in adulthood?
Meaney and Szyf traced the effect to epigenetics. Specifically, they discovered that in certain brain cells of baby rats, there are certain genes that get turned on when the babies are licked and groomed.
Then, the turning on of those genes leads cells to build proteins that help moderate stress responses into adulthood, because the genes stay turned on. EN: Can you describe how epigenetic research relates to humans?
One is by looking at experiments that have been done on our primate relatives, the monkeys. Harvard Educational Review, 33 , Johnston, T. Genes, interactions, and the development of behavior. Psychological Review , , 26— Oliver, B. Twins' Early Development Study TEDS : A multivariate, longitudinal genetic investigation of language, cognition and behavior problems from childhood through adolescence.
Twin Research and Human Genetics, 10 1 , Plomin, R. The Colorado adoption project. Child Development , The origins of individual differences in infancy; the Colorado adoption project. Science, , Trouton, A. Twins early development study TEDS : a multivariate, longitudinal genetic investigation of language, cognition and behavior problems in childhood.
Twin Research and Human Genetics, 5 5 , Waterland, R. Transposable elements: targets for early nutritional effects on epigenetic gene regulation. Molecular and cellular biology, 23 15 , Toggle navigation.
Debates and Issues Nature vs. Nurture Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology By Saul McLeod , updated Key Takeaways The nature versus nurture debate involves the extent to which particular aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited i. Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors. Nurture is generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception, e.
Instead of defending extreme nativist or nurturist views, most psychological researchers are now interested in investigating how nature and nurture interact in a host of qualitatively different ways. For example, epigenetics is an emerging area of research which shows how environmental influences affect the expression of genes. Nature and nurture do not complete the picture.
They are influences, but we should not reduce the human mind and spirit to such base concepts. Nature vs. In the "nature vs nurture" debate, nature refers to an individual's innate qualities nativism. In the "nature vs nurture" debate, nurture refers to personal experiences i. Example Nature is your genes. The physical and personality traits determined by your genes stay the same irrespective of where you were born and raised.
Nurture refers to your childhood, or how you were brought up. Someone could be born with genes to give them a normal height, but be malnourished in childhood, resulting in stunted growth and a failure to develop as expected.
Factors Biological and family factors Social and environmental factors. Nurture in the IQ Debate Evidence suggests that family environmental factors may have an effect upon childhood IQ, accounting for up to a quarter of the variance. The TEDx Talk below, featuring renowned entomologist Gene Robinson , discusses how the science of genomics strongly suggests both nature and nurture actively affect genomes, thus playing important roles in development and social behavior: Nature vs.
Nurture in Personality Traits Personality is a frequently-cited example of a heritable trait that has been studied in twins and adoptions. Moral Considerations of the Nature vs. Nurture Debate. Follow Share Cite Authors. Share this comparison: If you read this far, you should follow us: "Nature vs Nurture. Comments: Nature vs Nurture. Anonymous comments 5 October 10, , am Somewhere, someone has to be scratching their head and saying Related Comparisons.
Nature means the genetic heredity that one receives during the time of birth. The effect of Nature is the first identity of a living being. Nature is responsible for the majority of the physical appearance of someone and some characteristic features. Nature cannot be tampered with as it is a biological process. Although the personality of someone is defined by Nature during the time of birth and till a certain point, it can change as an effect of Nurture.
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