Nature vs Nurture

The Nurture side of the debate
Emily Lankin
Nature vs. Nurture a debate that has been discussed for centuries. When it comes to how we behave it is evident that nurture plays a much larger role. Firstly, when a child is born they have the potential ability to communicate and to walk but it is human interaction that teaches them these tasks. Secondly no human is born being a genius everyone is capable of being very smart but it is how are raised that brings out this trait. Lastly genes do not determine your personality traits but how you are raised.
The human brain develops when a child is very young. If a child is not nurtured and loved by humans the brain will not develop properly. Feral children are a great example of this. One of the most famous examples that have been documented discusses a young girl who was raised by dogs. In an article it reads, “In 1991, Oxana Malaya, who lives in Ukraine, was found and considered to be a feral child she was raised amongst dogs since she was 3 years old.” At the time she was found, she was only 8 years old, unfortunately when they found Oxana her brain had already been fully developed. Because Oxana lack of human interaction she was unable to communicate. The only words in her vocabulary were “yes” and “no.”
She was put through intensive therapy but could never learn to speak or grasp social sills. Feral children prove that human contact and interaction are needed for healthy brain development.
Everyone has the potential to be a genius it is our culture and how we are nurtured that determines this trait. If a child is brought up into a family with guardians that are not strict about grades and does not motivate their child to do well the child will not want to succeed. An example of culture playing a part in this debate is the Chinese culture. In article on parenting science reads, “in a recent study of American tenth graders found that Asian-Americans outperformed all other ethnic groups in math and science.” It is not...