I am going to start my blog off with the very popular debate of nature vs. nurture. The question that proposes which is more important? The environment I place my child in, or the characteristics my child is born with? Do I have the ability to change certain qualities in my child that could be negative in the long run? Can I prevent certain overt behaviour and issues such as ADHD/Learning disabilities?
Research shows that intelligence for instance are mostly hereditary but latest development indicate that the environment can exert a vast influence on a young child in terms of its intellectual ability as an adult. However is it only effective during early childhood development (birth to puberty), once they enter adolescence the environment you as a parent create take a back seat and ''Niche-picking'' comes into play. "Niche-picking" is the tendency to choose an environment that is most complementary to your inherited characteristics.
Certain factors that tend to be more genetically based than environmental are among others brain size and brain structure which are directly related to general intelligence but to a lesser extent to memory, verbal ability and spacial ability - all of which are more dependant on the environment.
To conclude, the type of environment that foster intelligence is one that:
- is open for exploration during play
- encourages a child to ask questions and allows him/her to find the answers to those questions
- encourages reading, as reading is one of the leading factors contributing to intelligence and
- where parents are actively involved during play time with their children.
I must also mention the effects of confidence on intelligence, as personal experience has shown that the more confident a child is in his or her abilities, the more intelligent they will come across. It is therefore, in my opinion, extremely important to raise a child in a home where his/her abilities are highlighted and complimented on a regular basis.
