Nature vs. Nurture

While it sounds like a contradiction, humans are simultaneously diverse and very similar. The world contains different personalities, customs, and people with varying physical features. At the same time, genetics and evolutionary psychology have revealed how much we all have in common. We have universal behaviors like facial expressions and factors of attraction, but we are unique as well. How much of who we are is the result of environmental circumstances and how much is due to genetics? The answer is not completely clear.

Essential Questions

• What is meant by the nature vs. nurture debate?
• How do psychologists study the extent to which individual factors are due to nature vs. nurture?