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Book 2: Block 2
The Natural And The Social:
Uncertainty, Risk, Change
Human Nature
Presentation:
Dr. Faisal AL-Qahtani
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Chapter 1: Human Nature
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Human Being:
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Features:
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Biological
Social
Mixture of both
Similarities vs. differences
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Bases:
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natural matters
Social matters
both
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Chapter 1: Human Nature:
Major themes
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Human being issue
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Similarities and differences
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Intelligence issue
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Natural and social interactions
Mechanism and processes that lead to similarities and differences:
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The ways in which our social and biological lives interact.
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Evolutionary explanations of species identity
Case studies:
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Evolution argument
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Identical and non-identical twins case
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Children learning and development
Social science investigation
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Methods and evidence
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Chapter 1: Human Nature
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Human nature?
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Origin of species!
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Evolution and genes
Are people different?
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Inheritance of genes
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Studies of twins
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identical vs. non-identical
adoption studies
how children develop?
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Similarities and differences
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Cognitive development: Piaget’s theory
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Intellectual development: stages
Studies of children’s intelligence
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Human Nature
Origin of Species
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Darwin, Charles Robert .
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1809-1882 1. British naturalist who revolutionized the
study of biology with his theory of evolution based on
natural selection.
Darwinism:
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Evolution through Selection:
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A theory of biological evolution developed by Charles Darwin and
others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop
through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that
increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and
reproduce.
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Source: The American Heritage Dictionary
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Human Nature
Origin of Species
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Darwinism
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Evolution took place as a result of
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Interaction between members of species and their environment in a twoway relationship: they produce change in one another.
Offspring inherit characteristics from their parents:
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Species remain largely stable, but not a perfect copy
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Variation leads to change
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Small variations
species are potentially dynamic.
A species environment is also dynamic:
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Some individual variations may be positive attributes:
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Thus, likely to be produced in future generations: “natural selection”.
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The dynamic characteristics of species and their environment are
interdependent.
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Human Nature
Evolution and Genes
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Darwinists:
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Species-environment interrelationships explanation.
Neo-Darwinists:
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Genetic explanation
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Evolution is a matter of genetic inheritance and variation.
Genes: the primary units of interest to explain species
characteristics.
Genetic DNA as the blueprint of an organism
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The instruction for the development of an organism.
The environment role: a background influence:
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existence of the right conditions for the genetically determined
organism to survive.
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Interaction is not the main factor here.
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Human Nature
Evolution and Genes
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Interactive Approach to Evolution:
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Social Scientist and some Biologists:
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The social and natural interaction
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is as important as, if not more important than, chemical and
biological properties of genes.
The social and natural environment
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is a crucial factor for the human species development.
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Are People Different?
Inheritance of genes
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individual characteristics
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Intelligence, creativity, aggressive behaviors, a
predisposition to depression, cancer, etc.
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Can these be explained by the inherited genes?
Qualities that run through families
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inherited?
due to living in a family environment that
encourages certain talents?
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Are People Different?
Studies of twins
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Identical vs. non-identical twins
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Who would be expected to show more similarities in
Standardized Tests (e.g., IQ)?
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Correlation Studies: identical twins have shown more similar IQ
scores:
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Interpretation: this would be attributed to the identical genetic
inheritance of identical twins.
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early studies up to the 1960s:
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even those separated at birth and brought up in different environments by
different carers showed relatively similar IQ scores.
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Are People Different?
Adoption Studies
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Later adoption studies:
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Focus: parents raising both birth and adopted children in
the same home.
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Results:
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High correlation scores between the IQs of the mothers and
those of the birth and adopted children.
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Interpretation:
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nurture by the same parents in the same environment is the
important factor.
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Differences in IQ are due to social experience; the genetic
inheritance has no effect.
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Are People Different?
Criticisms of Twin Studies of Intelligence
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IQ tests are culturally biased.
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Questions rely on knowledge of a particular language and culture.
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With practice, children can improve their performance on IQ tests.
Selective Placement:
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The adoptive parents are carefully selected:
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With roughly similar environment, and educational and intellectual levels as that of
the birth mothers.
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similarity of IQ scores of the adopted children and their birth mothers are
due to selective placement rather than genetic factors.
Genes and environment Interaction:
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Impossible to disentangle their relative importance.
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each completes the other.
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One inherits predispositions to intelligence,
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social factors can either stimulate or repress this inheritance.
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How Children Develop?
Similarity and Difference
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Nature:
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Human babies’ behaviors are genetically programmed.
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Evidence: some anecdotes:
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mothers’ comments on their babies’ behaviors.
Nurture:
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Effect and importance of the quality of parenting in a child’s
development.
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Evidence: Bowlby’s (1973) study:
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The importance of the care babies receive to their psychological
development.
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How Children Develop?
Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development

Pia·get, Jean . 1896-1980 1.
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Swiss child psychologist noted for his studies of intellectual
and cognitive development in children.
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American Heritage Dictionary
Cognitive Processes of child development:
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Development of intelligence
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Children’s errors:
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systematic rather than random
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Reveal underlying consistencies in their developing mental
abilities.
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How Children Develop?
Stages of Intellectual Development
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Piaget’ Theory:
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Children inevitably progress through various stages of cognitive
development: no stage can be skipped.
Children, however, develop at different rates.
Stages: (p.33)
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Sensori-motor (0-2 years)
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Respond to objects
Pre-operational (2-7 years)
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No logical thinking
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Operational (7-12 years)
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Don’t understand the real cause of events.
Understand underlying logical & numerical operations
Formal operations (12 + years)
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Understand abstract systems: e.g., mathematics
Think about events logically
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How Children Develop?
Later Studies of Children’s Intelligence
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Criticisms to Piaget’s Theory:
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Children were presented with odd situations with leading
questions.
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Piaget de-emphasized the role of social experience.
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Later studies (e.g., Donaldson & Bruner studies):
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Children react better to familiar situations.
Environmental aspects are crucial for children’s intellectual
development.
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Relation to Book & Course Themes
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Book theme:
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Role of social and natural
Course themes
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Uncertainty and Diversity
Structure and Agency
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See p. 17 (workbook 2).
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