Argument For The Development Of Children: Nature Or Nurture?

When will the nearly 150 year old debate end? For years there has been an ongoing debate of if a child is impacted more by their genetics, or their environment. This idea of nature versus nurture has been argued immensely by scientists and psychologists over the years, and both parties have come up with convincing arguments for their position on the topic. Although still debated, it is becoming more apparent that maybe it is not nature versus nurture, but how nature and nurture work together in the development of a child. While it is true that both have an impact on the individual, it is clear that certain personality traits are influenced more by the child’s surroundings, and who the child grew up with. The childhood and environment of an

Birth order, and growing up with a sibling affects intellectual achievement because having a sibling pushes an individual to strive to reach their fullest potential. In an experiment, researchers viewed 76 pairs of siblings to look at certain personality traits. The findings were that younger siblings had more academic success. “Younger siblings might earn better grades, because they received mentoring from first-borns who already had to tackle certain subjects, the researchers say. Also, later born children might feel extra pressure to be competitive, and might try to out-do their older siblings in the hopes of gaining extra attention from parents.” (Rettner, paragraph 14) An individual who grew up with siblings, specifically with an older sibling, are at an advantage academically. Watching the experience of an older sibling prepares the individual for when the situation will occur to them, and with the mentoring of their sibling, they are able to learn material earlier than those who grew up as only children. Students with siblings also tend to work harder in hopes of outdoing their siblings and impressing their parents. Older siblings often show more compassion in a school setting than a teacher or an administrator would. “This emotional positive support is very important in sibling relationships especially when older siblings often care for their younger siblings in a school setting. This would confirm the theory that having older siblings can be a positive aspect in a family dynamic and the younger sibling would therefore have better outcomes in school, academics, and mental health among other areas.” (Kipp, page 3) Having an older sibling to learn from is an advantage to younger individuals because their siblings are often patient and willing to take the time to teach. This allows the younger student to fully learn and understand the material, which will allow them to