Exam 1: Seciton 1: Introduction

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Plasticity is the molding of human traits while simultaneously maintaining some durability of identity. The idea of plasticity is that human development is an ongoing, ever-changing interaction between the body and mind and between the individual and every aspect of his or her environment. Influences that affect plasticity include culture, upbringing, and genes. The example should relate to some aspect of growth in one's life, such as how a high-functioning person on the autism spectrum can eventually earn a college degree. (The autism remains (durability), but with school and other societal interventions, the person can still achieve traditional milestones.)

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A cross-sectional design compares groups of people of one age with at least one other group of people of another age at a specific point in time. It is faster than a longitudinal study because all of the data is immediately available. Ideally the participants should be matched at the same socioeconomic level.
To implement a cross-sectional design to test reading, first identify a group of children aged 8 and another group aged 12. Second, evaluate each individual child's reading ability. Finally, compare the children of various ages and look for differences.

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Nature refers to the influence of genes on a person, and nurture refers to environmental influences on a person. Environmental influences include the health and diet of the embryo's mother and continuing lifelong, including family, school, community, and society. An example of nature would be having a gene that predisposes one to addiction. An example of nurture would be having that gene but avoiding addictions as a result of not being exposed to abuse or parental addictions. The debate concerns how much of any person's characteristics, behaviors, or emotions is the result of genes and how much is the result of the person's experiences.