PS2007's blog

Psychologists have debated for many years over whether nature or nurture plays a more important role in determining or causing individual differences in personality and behavior.  Historically, most have supported the idea that nature is the larger factor in determining personality.  Some psychologists even supported the idea of tabula rasa, or the blank slate, which states that humans acquire all or almost all of their behavioral traits from nurture (1).

This semester I read the book Love’s Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom a writer who is also a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University.  This book is the non-fiction account of ten patients who have been in therapy with Dr. Yalom over the years.  All of the patients have very different problems but they all experience some kind of personal breakthrough during their therapeutic sessions.  

One of the most important factors that affect child development is the relationship of the child with their primary caregiver.  This common sense statement is a tenet of developmental psychology known as attachment theory.  John Bowlby, the creator of this theory, wanted to examine how early childhood experiences influence personality development.  Attachment theory specifically examines infant’s reactions to being separated from their primary caregiver.  Bowlby hypothesized that the differences in how children react to these situations demonstrates basic behavioral differences in infancy that will have consequences for later social and emotional development.

        This semester I read the book The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven

Pinker, a professor of Psychology at Harvard University.  This book explores the idea that language is innate. 

In other words he believes that all humans possess “the instinct to learn, speak, and understand language”

(pg. 3).  Pinker argues that language is biological, and that even without formal training children will develop

ways to communicate. He believes that language is an evolutionary adaptation that developed because

humans needed a system of communication.  

        Music plays a huge role in our lives.  Whether you are at a concert or listening to music on your ipod at

the gym, whether you are listening to classical music or rock music your brain is constantly processing

melodies, harmonies, and lyrics.  But what makes music so enjoyable?  Why do we seek out new music, and

listen to old favorites over and over again?  What dictates our music choices—why do some people love

country music while others enjoy rap?  At first music may seem unimportant, but in reality it is a

fundamental part of any culture.  Recently researchers have begun to try to decipher the mystery that is

What Part of the Brain is Responsible for Moral Reasoning?

Wider Than the Sky

        This semester I read the book Wider Than the Sky: The Phenomenal Gift of Consciousness by Gerald M.

Edelman, a writer who is also a Nobel Prize winning neuroscientist. This book explores the ideas of

consciousness—what it is, how it works and even whether consciousness actually exists. In the words of the

author, consciousness contains, “Many disparate elements—sensations, perceptions, images, memories

thoughts, emotions, aches, pains, vague feelings and so on. Looked at from the inside, consciousness seems

continually to change, yet at each moment it is all of piece—what I have called ‘the remembered

        When I read an article in The New York Times that said researchers had found evidence to support the

idea that anorexia may have a biological basis, I was initially surprised but then this idea started to

make sense.  In this class we have talked about how the nature verse nurture debate has already been

solved—and that the answer is both nature and nurture.  We talked about how genes and the environment

work together to form the people we are, and a disease such as Anorexia is not an exception.  It is pretty

Does Birth Order Affect Intelligence?