Unit 2: The Nature and Nurture of Behavior
What makes you "you”? This question gets to the heart of one of the longest-running debates in psychology: the nurture versus nature dispute, which asks whether humans are a product of their environment or of their biological makeup. While it is unlikely that we will ever conclusively answer this question, research has provided us with some important insights that will assist you in understanding arguments on both sides of the debate. This unit will introduce you to a number of these concepts, identifying several of the factors that psychologists have isolated as potential identity-shapers. We will examine the interplay of these forces and focus in on the gene-environment interaction.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours.