IQ scores: Heredity vs. environment Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay (Essay Sample)

The Influence of Hereditary and Environmental Factors on IQ
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The Influence of Hereditary and Environmental Factors on Human IQ
The roles of environmental and hereditary influences on human intelligence have been extensively studied throughout the history of psychology. Myriad studies have been conducted on this subject to establish whether intelligence is passed down through genetics or develops from personal experiences as one grows up. The debate has engendered contrasting and compelling opinions regarding which of the two factors is superior. While opinions remain divergent, most researchers concur that both factors work interactively to determine the overall IQ a person possesses. Undeniably, heredity factors determine the reaction range to IQ, while environmental factors determine where the IQ lies within this range.
The first hypothesis is that human intelligence is hereditary. This premise largely stems from the prolonged observation of IQ trends among twins and adoption cases. A study on twins by Plomin and Spinath (2004) revealed that there was a significant similitude between IQs of identical ones compared to fraternal ones. In a different study, researchers found a close similarity in the IQs of siblings who had been brought up together in the same household than in adopted kids raised in the same environment (Lykken, Bouchard Jr, McGue, & Tellegen, 1993). From the studies, it is apparent that biological parents and their biological children share intelligence similarities, whether the children are raised by their parents or adopted. Thus, heredity does, indeed have a significant influence on people’s intelligence.