Nature and Nurture

What influences our development?

• Nature: innate characteristics and genes inherited biologically
• Nurture: acquired characteristics and environment

Almost any characteristic is influenced by a mix of both nature and nurture. Even something seemingly innate like walking bipedally is only enabled by social influence (a completely isolated human might walk quadripedally).

However, some characteristics are more influenced by nurture, and others more by nature.

Some scientists argue that culture is a third influential factor that combines with both nature and nurture to further influence our development.

Cultural Inheritance #

Unlike nature, which is exclusively inherited from parents, culture is inherited via social learning from any member of the population.

There are three main channels for cultural inheritance:

1. Vertical transmission: from biological parents to offspring
   • religion
2. Oblique transmission: from one generation to genetically unrelated individuals of another generation
   • traditional classroom learning
3. Horizontal transmission: between individuals of the same generation
   • slang, latest trends