Republic of the Philippines

SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Narciso Street, Surigao City

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

TEACHER CERTIFICATE CURRICULUM
First Semester, AY 2022--2023

Hand Out in Issues in Human Development

Oral Reporter: Alexa Khrystal Eve A. Gorgod & Jayrome Comon

Topic : Issues on Human Development
Course Code : Educ 1
Course Title : Child and Adolescent Development
Class Schedule: Thursday 4:30 – 7:30 PM
Course Credit:
Term : First Semester
Date : 09/23/2022
Instructor : Mr. Robert Franz D. Bendanillo, MA
Email Address:

I. Intended Learning Outcomes : At the end of the course, students should be able
to:
1. Identify the issue between nature and nurture in human development.
2. Differentiate the continuity and discontinuity.
3. Describe the stability and change issue.

II. Introduction
Each of us has his/her own way of looking at our own and other people’s
development.
These paradigms of human development while obviously lacking in scholastic vigor,
provide us with a conceptual framework for understanding ourselves and others.
Scholars have come up with their own models of human development. Back up by
solid research, they take stand on issues on human development.

III. Content Discussion

THREE ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT

 Nature versus Nurture
 Continuity versus Discontinuity
 Stability versus Change

Nature versus Nurture

The degree to which human behavior is determined by genetics/biology (nature) or
learned through interacting with the environment (nurture)

Nature

o Nature refers largely to our genetics.

o Behavior is caused by innate characteristics :The physiological/biological
characteristics we are born with.
o Plato and Descartes, suggested that certain factors are inborn or occur naturally
regardless of environmental influences.

o All possible behaviors are said to be present from conception. (nutrition,

medical care, drugs, and physical accidents)

Tel. Nos.: (086) 826-0135; Email: surigaostatecollege@yahoo.com

(086) 231-7798 URL: ssct.edu.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Narciso Street, Surigao City

o Genes provide the blueprint for all behaviors; some present from birth,
others pre-programmed to emerge with age.

Nurture

 Nurture encompasses the environmental factors that impact who we are. This includes
our early childhood experiences, the way we were raised, our social relationships, and
the surrounding culture.

 An individuals behavior is determined by the environment- the things

people teach them, the things they observe, and because of the different
situations they are in.

Behaviorist theories are nurture theories:

- Behavior is shaped by interactions with the environment. (family, peers,
schools, community, media, and culture)
Theorists such as John B. Watson believed that people could be trained to do and
become anything, regardless of their genetic background.
Nature VS Nurture in Psychology

Eugenics, for example, was a movement heavily influenced by the nativist approach.

Psychologist Francis Galton coined the terms 'nature versus nurture' and 'eugenics' and
believed that intelligence resulted from genetics.

In social psychology, on the other hand, researchers might conduct studies looking at how
external factors such as peer pressure and social media influence behaviors, stressing the
importance of nurture. 

Behaviorism is another branch that focuses on the impact of the environment on behavior.

Nature VS Nurture in Child Development

An example of a nativist theory involving child development is Chomsky's concept of a

language acquisition device (LAD).

According to this theory, all children are born with an instinctive mental capacity that allows
them to both learn and produce language.

An example of an empiricist child development theory is Albert Bandura's social learning theory.

This theory says that people learn by observing the behavior of others.
Nature VS Nurture in Personality Development

Biological theories suggest that personality is largely inherited.

According to behavioral theories, our personality is a result of the interactions we have with our
environment.

Nature Nurture Interaction

o An individuals characteristics may elicit particular responses in other people:

 Temprament: how active, responsive or emotional an infant is influences in

part determines their caregivers responses.
 Gender: people tend to react differently to boys and girls due to expectations
of masculine and feminine characteristics.

Tel. Nos.: (086) 826-0135; Email: surigaostatecollege@yahoo.com

(086) 231-7798 URL: ssct.edu.ph
 Republic of the Philippines
SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Narciso Street, Surigao City

 Aggression: Displaying aggressive behavior create particular responses from

other people.

SUPPORTING APPROACHES & PERSPECTIVE

Supporting Nature Supporting Nurture

- Physiological - Social
- Individual Differences - Behavioral
- Developmental

CONTINUITY VS DISCONTINUITY

Development is the process of growth and change in physical (body changes), cognitive
(thinking and understanding of the world), and psychosocial (personality and social skill)
aspects that every individual person experiences starting from the moment they are
born.

● Continuity understands development as similar to traveling up a mountain; growth as

gradual, continuous, and cumulative.
● Discontinuity refers to viewing developments as walking upstairs; there are defined
stages that are different from the preceding and proceeding one.

Continuity VS Discontinuity in Psychology

Continuous development in psychology emphasizes that development and changes in

individuals occur gradually.
Discontinuous development theory refers to the view that development changes can
be divided clearly into unique stages. These stages cannot be skipped, and proceeding
through them one by one is generally understood as necessary for individuals.

STABILITY VS CHANGE

● Stability implies personality traits present during infancy endure throughout the lifespan.

● In contrast, change theorists argue that personalities are modified by interactions with
family, experiences at school, and acculturation.
● This capacity for change is called plasticity.

IV. References:

https://www.slideshare.net/KimberlynMendoza/educ-201-issues-on-human-development
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-nature-versus-nurture-2795392
https://study.com/learn/lesson/continuity-vs-discontinuity-human-development.html
https://www.simplypsychology.org/developmental-psychology.html#:~:text=The
%20continuity%20view%20says%20that,specific%20life%20periods%20called%20stages.

Tel. Nos.: (086) 826-0135; Email: surigaostatecollege@yahoo.com

(086) 231-7798 URL: ssct.edu.ph