Nature vs. Nurture Debate

Definition

The nature vs. nurture debate involves determining whether human behavior is determined by genetics (nature) or learned through interacting with the environment (nurture).

Analogy

Imagine baking cookies - some ingredients (like flour and sugar) are essential for making any cookie (that's nature). But how your cookies taste can also depend on other ingredients you add, like chocolate chips or nuts (that's nurture).

Related terms

Heredity: The passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another.

Environment: In psychology, this term refers to all external conditions and influences affecting life and development.

Epigenetics: A field studying how environmental factors can switch genes on and off, influencing gene expression without altering DNA sequence.