Megan McGhee

Professor Calhoun

English Composition 1201

March 9, 2018

Annotated Bibliography

My essay is covering the nature vs. nurture debate. Nature consists of one’s

inherited genes while nurture is how a person is raised as well as the experiences they

go through. I will answer if environmental influences, DNA and genes, or both impact

how a person behaves. If they both affect a person’s personality, which one has more of

an influence?

Cherry, Kendra, and Steven Gans. "The Age Old Debate of Nature vs. Nurture."

Verywell Mind. Dotdash. 01 Mar. 2019 <https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-

nature-versus-nurture-2795392>.

This article was posted on verrywellmind.com by Kendra Cherry and updated on

November 21, 2018. The main point of this source is to educate the reader on what

nature and nurture are. The author also gives multiple examples of historic

psychologists who believed in either nature or nurture.

The author explains that philosophers such as Plato and Descartes could be

described as nativists, who believed that behaviors are a result of inheritance. Theorists

and thinkers like John B. Watson and John Locke both believed that people are shaped

by their environment and how they are raised. There are also many examples in the
article of various types of beliefs. For example, behaviorism is a theory that behavior is

affected solely by the environment.

The writer’s purpose in this article is to inform the reader on historical figures that

believed in different ways certain behaviors are created in a person. The author

included the past of the nature vs. nurture debate and different experiments that have

been done in order to prove one over the other. For example, the Bobo Doll Experiment

was done to prove that children can develop aggressive behaviors just by observing

other people act out in a hostile manner. This piece was written to inform an audience

that isn’t very educated on the topic. Because of this, I would assume that the intended

audience includes students who want to learn more about nature vs. nurture. This

article was written very recently which affects the content. Cherry admits that the

modern view on nature vs. nurture is that both ideas are believed to impact the behavior

of humans.

Cherry is an educational consultant who helps informs students on different

psychological topics. I know she is credible because her credibility is posted at the

beginning of the article and the piece was reviewed by a certified psychiatrist. I will use

this information near the beginning of my research paper to give my readers

background information on my topic. This source will help lead to my conclusion that

even though some psychologists believed in nature or nurture, both influence human

behavior.
Granqvist, Pehr, and Frances Nkara. “Nature Meets Nurture in Religious and Spiritual

Development.” British Journal of Developmental Psychology, vol. 35, no. 1, Mar.

2017, pp. 142–155. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/bjdp.12170.

Pehr Granqvist and Frances Nkara published in the british journal of

Developmental Psychology, “Nature Meets Nurture in Religious and Spiritual

Development.” in 2017. The main point of this source is to explore how nature and

nurture sculps one’s religion and beliefs. The first part of this article is to provide the

reader with the basis of nature and nurture and how the debate came about. The

second part of the article focuses on religious and spiritual (R&S) beliefs and how they

are impacted by nature and nurture. The third section is the conclusion that includes

specific research to prove the authors’ point that nature and nurture both play into a

person’s beliefs. In the middle of the article, the author emphasizes the importance of

researching R&S in order to understand nature and nurture more clearly.

The purpose of this article is to address how nature and nurture influence a huge

part of people’s lives; R&S development. The audience for this speech is directed

towards scholars who don’t quite believe that spiritual beliefs and religion are impacted

directly by nature and nurture. This piece was written in 2017 and the author clearly

states that research, at this time, still needs to be done and advertised for others to

believe that R&S play a huge part in the nature vs. nurture debate.

Pehr Granqvist works at Stockholm University in the Department of Psychology.

Frances Nkara works at the University of California in the Departments of Psychology

and Film & Media Studies. I know that both authors are credible because they cite their

sources, their information is up-to-date, and they don’t use bias. Also, I looked up their
names and their credentials were posted on numerous websites. They both specialize

in psychology so I know I can trust their information. I will use this information in the

middle of my research paper to provide a direct example of how nature and nurture

impact R&S. Since the authors include how nature and nurture affect R&S individually, I

can prove that nature and nurture work together to impact human behavior.

Mcleod, Saul. "Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology." Simply Psychology. 20 Dec. 2018.

Simply Psychology. 01 Mar. 2019

<https://www.simplypsychology.org/naturevsnurture.html>.

Saul Mcleod published the article, “Nature vs. Nurture in Psychology.” on the

Simply Psychology website on December 20, 2018. The main point of this article is

provide information on the basis of nature vs. nurture and different positions one might

take in this debate. The first few paragraphs of the article give simple definitions of what

nature and nurture are. The author then transitions into describing nativism and

empiricism. Nativism is the strong belief that personality and behavior is directly

impacted by genes. Empiricism is a belief that people are born with a blank mind and

their personality changes as they are affected by their environment. Near the end of the

article, Mcleod dives deeper into nature and nurture, taking an unbiased opinion on

which impacts a person more.

The writer's purpose in this article is to simply inform the readers on different

beliefs in the nature vs. nurture debate. By including the nativism and empiricism

example, the author allows the reader to see both sides of the argument. The piece also

gives the reader background information on the topic and simple definitions to aid
uninformed readers. The audience for this piece is directed towards readers that don’t

know a lot about the topic and need a basic outline of what nature and nurture are. The

article was published on a website dedicated to make psychology simple for their

readers. The information was updated in 2018 so the reader can trust that the

information is relevant.

Saul Mcleod is a researcher and tutor at the University of Manchester in the

Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology. I know that this author can be

trusted because his credentials are posted directly on the website and he uses citations

for his sources. Mcleod avoids bias and has recently updated this article so I know the

information is trustworthy.

I will use this information near the beginning and middle of my research project to

outline the extreme beliefs in the nature vs. nurture debate. I will also use this website to

provide background information on where the argument originated from. This source will

help me use specific examples of research done to prove that both nature and nurture

impact human behavior.

Montag, Christian, et al. “The Role of Nature and Nurture for Individual Differences in

Primary Emotional Systems: Evidence from a Twin Study.” PLoS ONE, vol. 11,

no. 3, Mar. 2016, pp. 1–15. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151405.

Christian Montag published, “The Role of Nature and Nurture for Individual

Differences in Primary Emotional Systems: Evidence from a Twin Study.” in the New

York Times on January 30, 2018. The main point of this research article is to provide

specific research of twins and non-twin siblings in order to explore the effects of nature
and nurture on both groups. The study focuses on six different factors; SEEK, CARE,

PLAY, FEAR, ANGER, and SADNESS. SEEK is when humans are energized and

interested in everyday life. CARE is studying the reproductive success of humans and

their interest in social bonding. PLAY is how humans learning how to cope with defeat

and also having fun. FEAR, ANGER, and SADNESS are simply studying these specific

emotions. The study shows that each of these factors are influenced by genetics in both

twins and regular siblings alike. The article goes into great detail about how each of

these factors affects twins and siblings differently.

The purpose in writing this article was to publish specific research on numerous

factors that influence twins with the same DNA and siblings with similar DNA. The

audience for this piece is directed towards researchers who want a specific experiment

in their projects. This is not a research article for leisure reading. Instead, it is an article

mainly to provide results from an experiment to provide evidence in a piece of work like

a research article. This research was published in 2018 in the New York Times so the

information is recent and presented in a scholarly manner. The New York Times is

usually read by fairly educated people so the information in the article would be more

complex.

Christian Montag works at ULM University at the Institute of Psychology and

Education. I know Montag is credible because his work experience and studies are

published and validated all over the internet and in newspapers. He uses citations in his

research articles and avoids bias. There are also many other researchers that worked

on this experiment with him and are given credit in the article.
 I will use this information in the middle of my research project to provide evidence

from an experiment to prove my conclusion that nature and nurture impact human

behavior. This source creates depth and credibility in my project. My readers will find my

research project more credible if they see that I have found an actual experiment that

supports my claim.

Robinson, Gene E. "Beyond nature and nurture." Science, vol. 304, no. 5669, 2004, p.

397+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A116184999/OVIC?u=dayt30401

&sid=OVIC&xid=0f57c6cf. Accessed 1 Mar. 2019.

Gene E. Robinson published, “Beyond nature and nurture.” to various different

websites, including go.galegroup.com, in April of 2004. The main idea of this article is to

convince the reader that both nature and nurture affect how a person behaves. The

author uses research on genomes to analyse the hereditary and environmental

influences on behavior. Three different genes are researched; vasopressin, the foraging

gene, and the steroid glucocorticoid hormone. The vasopressin gene is released in

males after mating and changes the habits of mammals. This is an example of how

social behavior can affect gene expression. The foraging gene is researched in different

species but concludes to impact behavior variation by both genes and environmental

influences. Finally, the steroid glucocorticoid hormone is a hormone that impacts the

stress level of certain species. If the species produces few receptors, they have a low

tolerance to stress. This gene is inherited but is impacted from social experiences.
 The writer’s purpose in publishing this article is to prove, through research, that

the personality of humans is shaped by genes but these genes are influenced by

environmental factors. In other words, the author is trying to convince his readers that

nature and nurture alike affect behavior and personalities. The intended audience is

students in need of scholarly research from an article and for researchers who need to

be convinced through research that nature and nurture impact humans. The audience

should already have an understanding of what nature and nurture are and how genes

can be affected by the environment. The article was written in 2004 where the idea of

both the environment and DNA having an impact on behavior could have been

unpopular. The fact that this piece has been published on many different websites is

proof that the research made a difference in the nature vs. nurture debate and the idea

that both factors influence behavior became more well-known.

Gene E. Robinson is a director at the Institute for Genomic Biology and is the

Swanlund Chair of Entomology. I know the author can be trusted because his

credentials are posted on the University of Illinois website. Robinson also uses citations

and avoids bias in his article.

I will use his research near the end of my project to conclude my paper. I will use

it as final proof that the environment and genes impact the way a person behaves. I will

include how certain genes are more common in some than others and the environment

has an affect on how many of these genes are released.

"'Three Identical Strangers' and the real science of nature vs. nurture." Philadelphia

Inquirer [Philadelphia, PA], 20 Sept. 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

 http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A554883428/OVIC?u=day

t30401&sid=OVIC&xid=61a2d39a. Accessed 1 Mar. 2019.

Tom Avril wrote the article, “'Three Identical Strangers' and the real science of

nature vs. nurture” and published it to the Philadelphia Inquirer in September of 2018.

The main point of the source is to provide an overview of the movie “Three Identical

Strangers”. Avril writes that this specific set of triplets was separated at birth and met

each other in their college years. They were all put into different households; middle

class, blue collar, and one of wealth. When they finally met, they seemed to have the

same interests and habits. This observation could just be a coincidence but it seems

that DNA and genes might have something to do with it.

The author’s purpose in writing this article is to provide a real life example of how

a set of triplets, separated at birth, could be impacted by their environment in

comparison to their genes. The audience for this piece is for those who are planning to

watch the movie and want a quick summary before viewing. The summary just lays out

background information so the viewer knows what to expect. The movie was recently

released in 2018 and the summary was published shortly after. The timing of the

publication greatly affects the piece because the summary can only be written after the

movie has come out. This also impacts the readers because the release of the movie

raises interest and draws people to read the summary.

Tom Avril is a verified health and science reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. I

know this author is credible because he has been verified and avoids bias. This piece

was published in a scholarly newspaper which has been checked and reviewed for

credibility.
 I will use this source near the middle to end of my research project. It is a

famous, real life example of people who have been an experiment of the nature vs.

nurture debate. This movie could intrigue some of my readers that have watched or

have interest in watching it. It will help me reach my conclusion that the environment

and genes both have an impact on humans, including triplets.

Wade, Nicholas. "In nature vs. nurture, a voice for nature." New York Times, 17 Sept.

2002, p. F1. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A91671031/OVIC?u=dayt

30401&sid=OVIC&xid=c794d7d2. Accessed 1 Mar. 2019.

Nicholas Wade published, "In nature vs. nurture, a voice for nature." to the New

York Times in September of 2002. The main point of this article is to summarize Dr.

Steven Pinker’s findings on the nature vs. nurture argument. Dr. Pinker was a

psychologist of language at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He observed

different governments that have formed in the past and why they didn’t work based off

of how the human brain functions. One example is that the blank slate idea results in

totalitarianism and puts all of the blame of children’s failures onto their parents.

The whole article is based off of Dr. Pinker’s views on how genes and the

environment shape people. The intended audience for this piece is for people who

already understand the nature vs. nurture concept and want to view someone else’s

opinion on the topic. The piece was published in the New York Times so the context is

educated and the purpose is to inform an educated demographic. It was written in 2002
but that shouldn’t affect the content because the opinions of Dr. Pinker have not

changed.

Nicholas Wade was a british writer and journalist for the New York Times. I know

that Wade is credible because he didn’t use bias and his work has been verified by the

New York Times. Wade has a Bachelor of Arts in natural science so I trust that his

information is valid. Again, I know the source is reliable because it was verified by the

New York Times. I will use this source in the beginning of my research article to provide

the opinion of a psychologist. Dr. Pinker specialized in psychology so my readers would

have reason to believe his opinions.