Posts Tagged ‘nurture’
Can You Outsmart Your Genes? An Interview with Author Richard Nisbett
While the debate over intelligence rages on many fronts, the battle over the importance of heredity rages loudest. It’s easy to see why. If the camp that argues intelligence is 75 to 85 percent genetically determined is correct, then we’re faced with some tough questions about the role of education. If intelligence is improved very…
Read MoreImproving the world, and one’s brain, at the same time
My wife and I just came back from an inspiring Goldman Prize Award ceremony, where seven grassroots environmental changemakers were recognized for their work and resiliency, and shared their passion and purpose with everyone attending the event. We did hear too from Al Gore, Tracy Chapman, Robert Redford, and the founder of the awards 20…
Read MoreLearning about Learning: an Interview with Joshua Waitzkin
In 1993, Paramount Pictures released Searching for Bobby Fischer, which depicts Joshua Waitzkin’s early chess success as he embarks on a journey to win his first National chess championship. This movie had the effect of weakening his love for the game as well as the learning process. His passion for learning was rejuvenated, however, after…
Read MoreEpigenetics: Nature vs. Nurture?
In yesterday’s interview with Michael Posner, he says: — “There is a growing number of studies that show the importance of interaction between our genes and each of our environments. Epigenetics is going to help us understand that question better, but let me share a very interesting piece of research from my lab where we found…
Read MoreIs Intelligence Innate and Fixed?
Given the recent James Watson “race and IQ” controversy, I took on to read Stephan Jay Gould’s classic book The Mismeasure of Man, in which he debunks IQ (and the underlying “g”) as measure of defined, innate, “intelligence”. Fascinating reading overall, very technical in some areas. The key take-away? In the last chapter, A Positive Conclusion, he…
Read MoreThe Gene Delusion: IQ and the environment
An anonymous reader of Andrew Sullivan’s blog writes a superb comment, reproduced here: “One thing Watson and others forget is that the brain is highly malleable based on environment. Although he is the father of DNA he knows very little about neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Previously it was thought that the human brain was ‘hardwired’ after a…
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