Nature and Nurture Influences on Child Development

For this written assignment, read Chapter 1 of your textbook and watch the videos from McDowell and Pollack. The debate regarding nature versus nurture and how it impacts child development has been ongoing for centuries. This debate is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of behavior are a product of either inherited (i.e. nature) or environmental (i.e. nurture) characteristics. Throughout history, researchers have often envisioned nature and nurture as separate and opposing influences. Today, developmental theorists increasingly agree that nature and nurture are interdependent, working dynamically together, in child development (McDevitt, 2010). 

What is nature versus nurture?
Watch the following videos:

• Nature vs. Nurture in Child Development 
• What is nature vs. nurture? 

Instructions

For this assignment, you will write a paper that answers the following prompts and meets the content and written communication expectations stated below. An effectively written paper will include a succinct introduction, providing an overview of the content and a thesis statement. The following paragraphs should support the thesis statement by providing relevant content and resources to support your ideas. The paper should be well organized and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. It will be helpful if you create headings in your document to organize your writing using the labels provided below for each content expectation. 

Rubric: Content Expectations/Content Criteria

• Nature Versus Nurture (2 points): Describe the relationship between nature versus nurture.
• Child Development Influences (2.5 points): Explain the biological, environmental, societal, and cultural influences on child development in relation to nature versus nurture.
• Influential Factor (2.5 points): Discuss which factor, based on research, is more influential than the other. Use at least two scholarly articles as well as the textbook to support your position.

Written Communication Expectations

• Page Requirement (0.5 points): Two page, excluding the title and reference pages.
• APA Formatting (0.5 points): Use APA 6th edition formatting, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center, consistently throughout the assignment.
• Syntax and Mechanics (0.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
• Source Requirement (0.5 points): References the textbook and recommended videos and at least one additional scholarly source to provide compelling evidence to support ideas. All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.