Coursework 1 Assessment: Source Report
Name: 2807052
Kwan Ting Cheung(Katie) Class: WEA#1 Date: 2.3.2024
Essay title or question:
Title: Discuss to what extent humans are influenced more by biology than social environment. Give evidence and an evaluation.
Plan for overall structure of essay:
Plan for overall structure
Introduction – context and position: The question of whether biology or the social environment is more prevalent in determining the human effect is complex.
Unraveling this relationship makes clear the role of biology and social factors in shaping human characteristics and behavior.
Thesis statement: It is the biological and social environment that together play a pivotal role in human development, but the importance of one over the other depends upon the trait under consideration.
Topic 1. Genes and brain structures are the engines that drive human behavior. According to Willoughby and al (2021), there is a significant part that genetics plays in intelligence and this influence is enduring.
Topic 2. The social aspect including family relations and cultural impact are also factors that accompany human development. Daw, Guo, and Harris (2015) highlight that common spatial settings are an important element in fostering academic achievement.
Topic 3. The biological and social interplay: Living on a space station or exploring other planets presents unique challenges, such as experiencing acceleration, gravity, and isolation.
Topic 4. Human behavior is a result of the combination of biology and socio-cultural influences. Kosse (2016) examines how the intersection of biology and society creates an environment where breastfeeding impacts a child’s cognitive development (2016).
Topic 5. An Integration of Biology and the Social Factors Should Be Made To Understand Human Behavior. Haag et al. (2023) highlighted the issue of cultural adaptability in emotional intelligence measurement tools, which acknowledge the relationship between the biology and social environment.
Conclusion Knowing what is going on between biology and the social environment provides the opportunity for people to make their lives better not only on individual bases but also for the development of the whole society.
Use the following referencing format for your sources: Please refer to the link provided to assist with your referencing of your sources.
All sources must use the APA 7th Referencing Guide
https://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/ld.php?content_id=49237993
Part 1: List of relevant sources
List 5 sources which will be useful in answering your essay question, and are suitable for academic use.
Make sure you use the referencing format provided on page 1. Outline how you found your sources, including where you found the source and how you found it. For three of your sources, note why it is relevant to your essay.
Reference List
1. Ashton, B. J., Thornton, A., & Ridley, A. R. (2018). An intraspecific appraisal of the social intelligence hypothesis. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences, 373(1756), 1–11
2. Daw, J., Guo, G., & Harris, K. M. (2015). Nurture net of nature: Re-evaluating the role of shared environments in academic achievement and verbal intelligence. Social Science Research, 52, 422–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2015.02.011
3. Haag, C., Bellinghausen, L., & Jilinskaya-Pandey, M. (2023). QEPro: An ability measure of emotional intelligence for managers in a French cultural environment. Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 42(5), 4080–4102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01715-6
4. Kosse, F. (2016). The Nutritional and Social Environment-Related Effects of Breastfeeding on Intelligence. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(2), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3201
5. Willoughby, E. A., McGue, M., Iacono, W. G., & Lee, J. J. (2021). Genetic and environmental contributions to IQ in adoptive and biological families with 30-year-old offspring. Intelligence (Norwood), 88, 101579-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2021.101579
| Reference | Type of source: | I found this source by... | This source is relevant to my essay because... |
| 1 | An intraspecific appraisal of the social intelligence hypothesis | ☐ Academic journal article | ☐ Book | ☐ Online report / article | ☐ Other (state which) | The source is from ScienceDirect.com. I found the source by The University of Sydney Library. I searched ‘social’ intelligence’ with peer reviewed and the year was from 2015 to 2024. Then the source was found, after that clicked into online access. It seem relevant to my | This article may advance knowledge of biology and the social environment by examining the social intelligence hypothesis within the context of an essay title. Social pressures such as competition and social relationships have prompted the development of a social intelligence hypothesis. Regarding the social environment in which people
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The Nutritional and Social Environment-Related Effects of Breastfeeding on Intelligence
Kosse, F. (2016). The Nutritional and Social Environment-Related Effects of Breastfeeding on Intelligence. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(2), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3201
☒ Academic journal article
☐ Book
☐ Online report / article
☐ Other (state which)
This source is found from The University of Sydney Library by searching ‘intelligence’ ‘social environment’ ‘nutrition’ and apply filter to peer reviewed and change the year between 2015 to 2024. This article seems relevant to my essay topic-intelligence. Then I clicked to online access to the website of JAMA Network and read the highlight. Back to the library and save the website link.
The article "Nutritional and Social Environments Related to the Effects of Breastfeeding on Intelligence" by Kosse (2016) is important and relevant to the essay's focus on the harmonious relationship of biological and social influences on human behaviour and cognitive abilities. It considers biological and social factors when deciding how breastfeeding affects IQ. Although breastfeeding provides the body with the necessary nutrients, social factors like social norms and socioeconomic status play a role in its implementation.
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Nurture Net of Nature: Re-Evaluating the Role of Shared Environments in Academic Achievement and Verbal Intelligence
Daw, J., Guo, G., & Harris, K. M. (2015). Nurture net
of Nature: Re-evaluating the Role of
☒ Academic journal article
☐ Book
☐ Online report / article
☐ Other (state which)
This source is found from Google Scholar which searched the key words ‘Nature’ ‘nurture’ ‘social environment’ ‘intelligence’ and
By analysing the influence of family dynamics on academic performance and verbal intelligence, the study "Nurture Net of Nature: Re-evaluating the Role of
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of nature: Re-evaluating the role of shared environments in academic achievement and verbal intelligence. Social Science Research, 52, 422–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2015.02.011
applied the filter of peer reviewed and the year between 2015 to 2024. After clicked into the profile of this article, I checked the introduction, the title seems can be one of the essay topic. I save the article and put into the list of resources.
Shared Environments in Academic Achievement and Verbal Intelligence" by Daw, Guo, and Harris (2015) challenges preconceived ideas. Data on the dialogues between shared environments and genetic factors that affect cognitive abilities are evaluated in this study. The report highlighted how biology and social factors engage meticulously to structure human cognition and educational success, underscoring the importance of considering both for a thorough understanding of human nature.
4 Genetic and environmental contributions to IQ in adoptive and biological families with 30-year-old offspring
Willoughby, E. A., McGue, M., Iacono, W. G., & Lee, J. J. (2021). Genetic and environmental contributions to IQ in adoptive and biological families with 30-year-old offspring. Intelligence (Norwood). 88, 101579 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2021.101579
☒ Academic journal article
☐ Book
☐ Online report / article
☐ Other (state which)
I found this source from The University of Sydney Library. I searched the key words of 'genetic' 'social environment' 'intelligence' 'biological'. After finding this article, the year is 2021 and have peer reviewed which I need, the title seems interesting and relevant to the topic-intelligence. I clicked online access, started reading the abstract. After that, I downloaded the article and save into the list of resources.
resources. As a result of both biology and the social environment, humans are influenced significantly. However, the genetic factors are found mainly in the case of some specific traits, like intelligence. The example above included the study that showed a heritability estimate of 0.42 for adult IQ, which revealed that there is a considerable genetic factor) ( Willoughby et al.,2021). This source is relevant to the essay because it stresses the fact that while during adolescence
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QEPro: An ability measure of emotional intelligence for managers in a French cultural environment
Haag, C., Bellinghausen, L., & Jilinskaya-Pandey, M. (2023). QEPro: An ability measure of emotional intelligence for managers in a French cultural environment. Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 42(5), 4080–4102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01715-6
☒ Academic journal article
□ Book
□ Online report / article
□ Other (state which)
This source was found by The University of Sydney Library. Searching the key words of 'ability' 'intelligence' 'environment' 'biological'. Then I found this article. It has peer reviewed, and the year is 2021. I started reading the introduction and it match the topic of intelligence. So, I downloaded the pdf of the article and save into the list of resources.
People are biologically and socially shaped in various degrees, and the environment can have more impact on some traits than others. Biological inputs (genes) determine original features and behavioral propensities, while the social environment produces behavior through culture, education and interaction with others. By the same token studies of the type conducted by Haag et al. (2023) show that the often-deemed social capacity of emotional intelligence has biological roots, which indicate that this interplay is rather complex with biology being a major informant of our social behaviors and skills. This source is pertinent to this effect because it explains how social scientists think that those trait categories are intertwined with nature, which is supposed to be a
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social construct.
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Part 2: Source Evaluation and Use of Sources
Complete the source evaluation and overview of useful points for two of your sources. Note that you cannot include a source you have been given in this section.
Reference
Willoughby, E. A., McGue, M., Iacono, W. G., & Lee, J. J. (2021). Genetic and environmental contributions to IQ in adoptive and biological families with 30-year-old offspring.
Intelligence (Norwood). 88, 101579-, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2021.101579
I have identified this source is reliable and appropriate for academic use because...
Criteria Tick all statements which apply and provide an example or evidence where required
Currency The timeliness of the information
☒The article is current
☐Research in the area has not been updated
☐My essay requires reference to older research
REASON:
The article was published in 2021 can considered as current which discussed the recent research of genetic and environment contribution to IQ in adoptive and biological family with 30 years old offspring.
Authority The source of the information
☐The authors have the appropriate level of expertise in the field.
EVIDENCE:
Emily Willoughby is an American scientific illustrator, writer, and researcher in behavioural genetics and cognitive psychology. She is a professor of University of Minnesota who had done different researches related to genetics and biological intelligence. McGue, M is Matt McGue is an American well-known researcher and behaviour geneticist and a regent’s professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, he had doing many researches of genetics and had published different peer reviewed articles related to intelligence, genetic, and family studies. Iacono, W. G is William G.Iacono who is the professor of The University of Minnesota and professor from department of Psychology. He had done much resarch of mental disorder and behaviour genetic perspective. Lee, J. J. is known as James J.Lee .He had studied Ph.D. of Psychology in Harvard University and a professor in University of Minnesota. He had been doing much research related to behavioural genetics and quantitative genetics and intelligence.
Accuracy The information has been peer-reviewed
☒The information has been peer-reviewed
☐The source uses academic conventions throughout
☐The arguments are supported by sound evidence.
EVIDENCE:
Due to visiting the journal’ website that this article was published, this article was published in ‘intelligence (Norwood)’, those professors who wrote this article were recognis by other professional to prove the scientific quality. Also, this article has showed peer-reviewed on academic database from the University of Sydney Library.
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Purpose
The reason
the
information
exists
☐ This source has not been commissioned by a company or organisation
☑ The purpose of this source is to inform / educate
☐ The information contained in this source is presented without bias
EVIDENCE:
Exploring and evaluating the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to IQ differences in adoptive and biological families with 30-year-old offspring is the aim of the article "Genetic and environmental contributions to IQ in adoptive and biological families with 30-year-old offspring" by Willoughby, E. A., McGue, M., Iacono, W. G., and Lee, J. J. (2021). The research aims to shed light on the intricate interactions that affect intelligence between genetic inheritance and environmental factors, especially in adoptive families. In terms of improving our knowledge and understanding of the mechanisms behind IQ variations and clarifying the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in influencing cognitive abilities, the research is aimed at these factors in both adoptive and biological family settings.
Use of source
Note three points from the source which will be useful for your essay and how you will use them
Relevant key point from the text
Supporting evidence / example/ data for the key point
Which topic from your outline does this point relate to and in what way?
Human intelligence is influenced by genetics
Genetic Influence on IQ: Willoughby' s study from 2021 highlights the important role that is shown in genetics tend to play in IQ identification. This is indicated by the substantial contributions genetic inheritance makes to the intelligence differences both biological and adoptive families.
This statement testifies greatly to the fact that the human mind is immensely affected by the genes. It may be illustrated in the essay as a case that genetic transmission is the fundamental factor that contributes to IQ differences within both natural and adoptive families (Willoughby et al., 2021). This data is used to strengthen the case that biology may be a strong influencing element of a person's intelligence more than their environment.
Another point of views is that intelligence is shaped by the environment
Although genetic factors play an important role, environmental factors also play a role in family settings, and research highlights the impact of environmental influences on IQ ( Haag et al., 2023).
This point of view pinpoints environmental conditions, for example, family ties and educational Al support, in the development of an individual's intelligence. It can work as a part of the essay to support the position that though genetics offers a root for IQ, environment modifies intellectual flourishing, implying the connection between nature and nurture ( Haag et al., 2023).
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As the intertwining of the hereditary and environmental factors in intelligence outcome reveals, the examination of both heritages is required to fully understand the course of human intelligence development.
The study highlighted the part of communication between genetic and environmental factors that structure IQ outcomes. This indicates that, in order to fully understand intelligence, alike genetic inheritance and environmental influences must be properly considered development.
The fact that biology vs. social factors are both important in understanding intelligence is directly relevant to the essay's discussion on the balance between the biological and social aspects of intelligence. It is used as a tool to show the difficulty involved in intellectual advancement and that, as well as the genetic aspect, the environmental aspect has to be considered for a full picture of the intelligence formation.
Reference
Haag, C., Bellinghausen, L., & Jilinskaya-Pandey, M. (2023). QEPro: An ability measure of emotional intelligence for managers in a French cultural environment. Current Psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 42(5), 4080-4102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01715-6
I have identified this source is reliable and appropriate for academic use because...
Criteria Tick all statements which apply and provide an example or evidence where required
Currency ☐ The article is current
☐ Research in the area has not been updated
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The timeliness of the information
□ My essay requires reference to older research
REASON:
In 2023, the journal Current Psychology published this article. This publication would be recognized as current because it was within a timeline about that date. Additionally, the topic matter's applicability affects the article's currency. The dynamic field of emotional intelligence (EI) research is gaining interest in academic fields, particularly organizational psychology and management. The research also gains a contemporary dimension focusing on cultural nuances, particularly in a French context.
Authority
The source of the information
□ The authors have the appropriate level of expertise in the field
EVIDENCE: The study's author are exprienced experts in the field of emotional intelligence, specialists building up the management assessment tools in the culturally diversified environments.
Accuracy
The reliability and correctness of the information
□ The information has been peer-reviewed
□ The source uses academic conventions throughout
□ The arguments are supported by sound evidence
EVIDENCE:
The publication of "QEPro: An Ability Measure of Emotional Intelligence for Managers in a French Cultural Environment" in the journal Current Psychology provides strong evidence that the paper underwent peer review. Peer-reviewed research articles in psychology are usually published in the esteemed academic journal Current Psychology.
Purpose
The reason the information exists
□ This source has not been commissioned by a company or organisation
□ The purpose of this source is to inform / educate
□ The information contained in this source is presented without bias
EVIDENCE:
The paper presents a new a emotional intelligence (EI) assessment instrument designed specifically for staff working in a French-speaking environment.
The authors created the QEPro tool to address a gap in the existing EI measures and consider the unique needs and cultural nuances of managers in France. The article aims to inform researchers, professionals, and organizations interested in assessing and enhancing emotional intelligence among managers, particularly in French business, by critically examining the tool's development process, basic concepts, methodology, and verification.
Use of source
Note three points from the source which will be useful for your essay and how you will use them
Relevant key point from the text
Supporting evidence / example/ data for the key point
Which topic from your outline does this point relate to and in what way?
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This article covers the development of QEPro, an innovative emotional intelligence (EI) measure designed primarily for managers functioning in a French-speaking setting. This illustrates the writers' importance on the requirement for culturally aware evaluation tools in the Emotional Intelligence field. | The design of QEPro, a culturally appropriate assessment tool for French-speaking managers, further emphasizes the crucial role of culturally sensitive instruments in the emotional intelligence evaluation process (Ashton et al.,2018). With such adaptation, the instrument becomes much more context-specific reflecting the cultural uniqueness, and that is why contextual tools are necessary for psychological evaluations. | This is the major point of your essay that tackles the “Nature - Nature” issue in the “Personality – Nature and Nurture” section. It evidences the genetic and environmental aspects in formation and perception of personality traits like emotional intelligence (Ashton et al.,2018). It illustrates the role of social environment in shaping the personality.
Psychometric properties and validation: The authors provide information on QEPro's psychometric characteristics and validation technique. This gives the readers an understanding of the measure's effectiveness and solidity by providing information on factor structure, validity, and reliability. | The validation process of QEPro involves not only the analysis of the factor structure, validity, and reliability but also the confirmation that the tool can be useful in assessing emotional intelligence in the culture that the study is being conducted(Kosse,2016). This process of rigorous validation makes sure that the instrument is precise and appropriate in the managerial contexts of French. | This subsidiary to your essay's "Intelligence – Compare Nature and Nurture" part is the main focus of your essay. It emphasizes the key finding that the environment's role, the validation of psychological assessment systems, is the most indispensable in the process of understanding and measuring intelligence( Kosse,2016). This case here illustrates the necessity of taking into account genetic and nurturing factors during the study of human cognitive and emotional development.
In this regard, QEPro authors highlight the need for including cultural overtones in the emotional intelligence evaluations. The application of QEPro to the French cultural norms makes it more contextual and accurate. Thus, the tool fits the social and work environments in which the French managers are working. Such a culture – sensitive approach is free from prejudice and helps to increase the effectiveness of the index. | QEPRO was linguistically and culturally adapted for the French context to comply with the local culture of our target audience during the development of the emotional intelligence measure ( Daw et al., 2015). Such an approach is all about paying much attention to cultural specificity in the process of psychological assessment thus increasing the validity and applicability of the results. | This is clearly related to the "The Twin-Theory of Personality – Nature and Nurture" that you will mention later in your article. It illuminates the vast role that environmental issues, and specifically cultural elements, play in the construction and assessment of personal characteristics (Daw et al., 2015). This essay demonstrates that in addition to genes (nature) that are a primary source of personality, the environment (nurture) plays a ...
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crucial role in shaping and refining personality traits,
as it is shown in the essay through QEPro. This in turn suggests a complex and dynamic relationship between the underlying genetic structure and the social context in which a person develops.
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Part 3 Bullet point key conclusions you have drawn from your reading of the five sources.
Conclusions drawn from your reading
- Both genetics and social environment play significant roles in shaping traits such as obesity, intelligence, and personality.
- Genetic predispositions provide a foundation for traits like obesity, but environmental factors, such as lifestyle choices, also contribute.
- Breastfeeding, influenced by cultural and social factors, impacts cognitive development and obesity outcomes, showcasing the interplay of nature and nurture.
- Cultural environments influence emotional intelligence development, highlighting the importance of considering social factors in assessing emotional intelligence.
- Personality development involves an intricate interaction between genetic features and environmental stimuli, shaping individual traits over time.
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