Ongoing Controversy: Nature Vs. Nurture

Nature vs. nurture has been a long ongoing debate for many years. This is also the case for how nature vs nurture relates to intelligence and intellectual functioning. In this paper we 'll take a close look at how intelligence and intellect are different and how they are defined. The historical foundations of intelligence will be discussed along with some of the researchers that came up with different ideas for intelligence and how it works. What role and how much heredity and environment play in intelligence and intellect. Finally, I 'll discuss my own intelligence and intellect from the perspective of multiple intelligences and how my heredity and environment might have played a role.

First, there are many definitions that have been

Charles Spearman said that intellect is the ability that underlies in all mental operation to degree. There are seven capabilities that singly or combination that are involve in all intellectual activities. These capability are called primary mental abilities which are verbal comprehension, numerical ability, spatial relations, perceptual speed, word fluency, memory, and reasoning(Louis L. Thurstone).

Next, we 'll discuss the historical foundations of intelligence. We 'll be looking at researched works of Howard Gardner, Alfred Binet, Francis Galton, and the works of Herrnstein and Murray. Howard Gader was the founder of the multiple intelligences theory. Gardner 's theory viewed the concepts of intelligence in gifted, brain-damaged, and different cultured individuals not just in normal children and adults like most of the theories before. Gardner also denies the existence of general intelligence and proposed eight independent forms of intelligence(Howard & Hatch, 1989). First, frame of mind is linguistic intelligence which is the ability to use language both as an aid to thinking ad in communication. Second is logical-mathematical intelligence this is the ability to think logically and to

Thirdly is heredity and environment and how it play into intelligence and intellect. The nature vs nurture debate has been going on for over 140 years. Galton 's claim is disputed by environmentalist that insists that intelligence is the product of one 's environment. Environmental effects on intelligence consist in social variable, occupation, schooling, and family. Some believe that intelligence mainly comes from heredity. However, most psychologists today agree that both nature(heredity) and nurture(environment) play into intelligence. There is always a genetic aspect to the effects of the environment(Plomin & Bergeman, 1991). Both environment and heredity affect each other, one doesn 't act on it 's own without some input from