Geography Homework

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Smith John

Professor Waktola

Geography 1 (Section 0801)

20 January 2017

The Causes of Human Behaviors: Nature vs Nature

I. Introduction

Human behavior refers to the array of every physical action and observable emotion associated

with individuals, as well as the human race as a whole. With respect to the causes of human

behavior, there is huge disagreement. Once side argues that the human behavior of an individual

are inherited (i.e. genetic). The other side argues that the human behavior is acquired (i.e. learned).

These two conflicting approaches to human development were at the core of an ideological dispute

over research agendas throughout the second half of the 20th century.

This paper investigates both sides of the arguments and attempts to come up with a conclusion.

The first part of the paper focus on the argument that discusses the genetic causes of human

behavior. The second part focuses on the learned aspects of human behavior. The last part will

summarize the key points of the two sides and conclude the paper. In this paper, empirical evidence

from academic journals and books are used.

II. The Genetic Argument

Darwin (1871) states that man is the modified descendent of some preexisting form. This

implies that the individual differences results from genetic differences. In this category, several

researchers have attempted to catalogue human genetic variation and correlate it with various

attributes of human behavior.

The first group of studies relates genetic factors to various forms of mental disorders. For instance,

Bailey, Phillips, & Rutter (1996) reported that hereditary is related to brain abnormalities. The

study conducted by Keshavan & Murray (1997) underscored that genetic factor is strongly related

to autism and schizophrenia

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The second group of studies relates genetic factors to the overall human behavior. The study

conducted by Vannicelli (2001) stated that dysfunctional parents are found to have dysfunctional

kids. In this study, agreeable parents tend to have agreeable kids, aggressive parents tend to have

aggressive kids.

The third group of studies relates genetics to the psychiatric problems. For instance, Krueger,

McGue, and Iacono (2001) argues how genetic risk factors have been found for every psychiatric

condition.

The fourth group of studies attributes genetic factors to obesity, which predisposes to many

diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, Locke, et al. (2015) conducted a

genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a

measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, based on 339,224

individuals. Their result supports the role of the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility

and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate

signaling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.

III. The Environmental Argument

Supporters of the nurture theory believe that nature (genetic tendencies) don't matter - that our

behavioral aspects originate only from the environmental factors of our upbringing. In this

category environment is believed to affect several aspects of human behavior

The first group of studies that amplified the environmental factor is Hill & Barton (2005).

According to this study, an environmental factor, red color, could determine the males’

performance in combat sports. In here, the red color is purely of an environmental factor and

greatly influenced the human performance.

The second group of study that linked environment to divorce and crime is Rose (1995). This

author ridiculous to suppose that there could be a gene for divorce or crime. Instead, the

environment plays a huge role in the shaping of divorce and crime. In this study, adolescent

delinquency is generally assumed to be environmental (i.e., causal) in origin. Similarly, a study

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conducted by Burt et al., (2008), incorporated the timing of divorce in a sample of 610 adoptive

and biological families. The result shows that delinquency increased only in response to the

divorce exposure.

The third group of study associated human behavioral variations to more of environmental than a

genetic factor. For instance, Moore (2015) studied how experiences influence genetic activity. He

further points out that it is not because of the genes we have; but also due to how our genes are

used.in line with this finding, Powledge (2011) think nurture (environment) has an essential

influence on nature.

Finally, in a study conducted by McGue and Bouchard (1998), twin and adopting siblings are

strongly affected by environmental factors.

IV. Summary and Conclusion

This study was conducted to review the causes of the human environment: genetic vs.

environment. Both journal articles and books were used as a source of information to address sides.

To summarize, studies siding with the influence of genetic factor on some aspects of human

behavior includes: mental disorders, the overall human behavior, psychiatric problems, obesity,

etc. On the other hand, the influence of environmental factor on some aspects of human behavior

includes: the performance of male athletes, divorce and crime/ delinquency, influence on genetic

activity, the impact on twin and adopting sibling, etc.

After critically analyzing the two sides, I come to the conclusion that while both sides have a valid

scientific explanation, I personally believe that the genetic factor plays a huge role than the

environmental factor.

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References

Darwin, C. (1871). The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. London, J Murray,

1871

Hettema, J.M, Neale, M.C., Kendler, K.S. (2001). A review and meta-analysis of the genetic

epidemiology of anxiety disorders. Am J Psychiatry, 158: 1568–1578

Hill, R. & Barton, R. (2005). Psychology: Red enhances human performance in contests.

Nature, 435, 293.

Krueger, R,F,, McGue, M., Iacono, W.G. (2001). The higher-order structure of common DSM

mental disorders: internalization, externalization, and their connections to personality.

Pers Individ Dif; 30:1245–1259

McGue, M. and Bouchard, T. (1998). Genetic and environmental influences on human

behavioral differences. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 21:1-24

Locke, A.E, Kahali, B, Berndt, S.I, Justice, A.E, Pers, T, Day FR (2015). Genetic studies of body

mass index yield new insights for obesity biology, Nature, 518: 197–206.

Moore, D (2015). The Developing Genome: An Introduction to Behavioral Epigenetics (1st ed.).

Oxford University Press.

Plomin, R., DeFries, J.C., Craig, I.W., McGuffin, P. (Eds.) (2010). Behavioral Genetics.

Washington, DC, American Psychological Association.

Powledge, T. (2011). Behavioral Epigenetics: How Nurture Shapes Nature. BioScience, 61 (8):

588–592.

Rose, R.J. (1995). Genes and human behavior. Annual Review of Psychology, 46: 625–54

Vannicelli, M. (1989). Group psychotherapy with adult children of alcoholics: treatment

techniques and countertransference. New York: Guilford Press.

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How to Access the Library Resources

1. The instruction states that least 2 books and 2 peer reviewed journals are required.

2. Those references should be published in the last 8 years (i.e., since 2008).

3. There is a web page developed by our library – to help you access global warming related books

in the library. You can’t borrow them, but you can use them in the library

4. The address of global warming books in the library webpage is:

“http://libguides.lamission.edu/physicalgeography“

5. To search for peer-reviewed journal articles, follow the following steps:

a. Go to: ”http://www.lamission.edu/library/resources.aspx “, and log-in when required.

b. Check on the “Scholarly (peer reviewed) journals”

c. Check on “Full Text”

d. Enter the published Date (Starting January 2010)

e. Check on “Pdf Full Text”

b

c

d

e

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6. Let’s say, you found the following peer reviewed journal. How do you cite it? First you will click

on the journal

7. When you get the following page, you can print (a), email it yourself (b), add it to a folder (c) or

get its correct citation (d).

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a

b

c

d

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8. When you click on d (see the above image), you will find different citation formats. But what you

are looking for is the MLA. Therefore, scroll down until you see the MLA.

9. The following could be seen.

10. Then, you can copy and paste to the word format.

11. When writing the facts on the paragraphs, the source must be cited, which is called in-text

citation. For example, if the article by John Mathew published in 2011, reported that every year

X amount of CO2 is released in USA due to coal mining and contribute to global warming… .

Here is how to write this fact in the paper: According to Mathew (2011), coal mining in USA

releases X amount of CO2 in to the atmosphere, which is an important factor of global warming.

12. The last page should outline all the sources used in the paper. It has to follow the MLA format.

Check the format for Book, journal article, website sources, ….

13. Once you have finished your paper, you need to save it as pdf (so that the format wouldn’t get

messed up).

14. How to convert the finalized word document in to pdf?

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a. If you are using Microsoft: click on File (at the top left corner)  click on “Save as” 

then, select “pdf” under the “save as type”.

15. Finally upload in Canvas,

a. Click on the “Global Warming Term Paper” in the Upcoming Assignments

b. Click on “Resume”,

c. Then, click on “Choose File” to upload your file. Please make sure to receive a message

“Your file has been successfully uploaded”.

c

a