ABSTRACT
For centuries, philosophers, psychologists andeducators have debated the nature-nurture con-troversy. At the heart of the controversy lie questions about how much of the child’s development is predetermined by genetic and organismic traits of the individual, and how much is malleable and shaped by the environment in which the individual lives. In relatively recent history psychologists, including Uri Bronfenbrenner (1979, 2000), Ronald Seifer and Arnold Sameroff (1987) have reframed this debate to focus on the interplay between organic and environmental influences in determining developmental outcomes. Their work has spawned a growing body of research that highlights the dynamic and ongoing nature of the interaction between characteristics of the individual and the environment. In some instances, the influence of particular characteristics varies with their timing, as illustrated in the case of maternal substance abuse during pregnancy. The effects are most deleterious to the child’s development during the first trimester, and this initial early exposure may have a direct and specific impact on development. Its significance in the life of an individual, however, is realized through the response of the environment over time to the endowments, capacities, and inclinations of the particular child, as well as through the influence of the child’s changing needs and behavior on the environment.
