The Research And Career Of Robert Plomin - 2386 Words

The Research and Career of Robert Plomin Robert Plomin is perhaps one of the most well known psychologists of the 20th century. He is a preeminent researcher in the field of behavior genetics, is at the forefront of the ongoing â€Å"nature versus nurture† debate, and is most famous for his support of the nonshared environment influence among siblings, and for his recent work with twin studies. To date, Plomin has authored over 700 articles and books, and he continues to ardently research and serve as a professor at King’s College London. Early Research Plomin’s interest in evolution, natural selection, and genes began at a young age. He studied psychology and completed his dissertation on the topic of temperament and personality development, under the direction of Arnold Buss at the University of Texas, Austin (Pearce, 2003). For his study, parents of 137 sets of twins between the ages of two and six were asked to rate the temperaments of their children, as well as report the temperaments of themselves and their spouse. The results demonstrated great genetic influence on the characteristics of impulsivity, sociability, emotionality, and activity level, which are all important aspects of temperament (Pearce, 2003). Additionally, Buss and Plomin released a book in 1975 entitled A Temperament Theory of Personality Development, which argued the idea that genetic variance occurs between individuals, but that there are no significant genetic differences between various races andShow MoreRelatedThe Nature Vs. Nurture Debate1971 Words   |  8 Pageshave nothing to do with how we turn out; it all depends on our genes. One psychologist, however, has made the attempt to bridge these two sides together. Robert Plomin’s work in genetics and psychology has helped people understand the roles the environment and genetics play in areas such as education, behavior, and development. Robert J. Plomin was born in the windy city in 1948 in a one-bedroom rented flat. His father worked in a car factory starting off on the assembly line and later being promotedRead MoreNature versus Nurture: Criminal Behavior2176 Words   |  9 Pagesso they could be altered for the purpose of preventing the number of crime. Within the past decade there has been a wide range of research and evidence available based on both sides of the nature or nurture debate. Along with further research that identifies a number of determinants that have some form of influence towards criminal behavior and activity. This research usually surrounds various evidence which links criminal behavior to social, cultural and environmental factors (Lykken, 1993). WhilstRead More Donald Trump-Super Supervisor Essay2289 Words   |  10 PagesHandspring. Robert Johnson founded BET Network, the first African American cable network. This venture eventually made Mr. Johnson $3 billion. (Merit, 1998, p.1). What all of these people share is a vision, and a dream. They are efficient, dedicated and flexible. They didn’t give up, and they didn’t lose sight of their vision. Another self-made millionaire, and business leader is Donald Trump. Although he is probably most well known for the reality show The Apprentice, Mr. Trump’s career began withRead MorePersonality and Ethics8599 Words   |  35 Pagesgrow from childhood to old age. And every individual’s personality begins the moment they are capable of perceiving the world. The development of one’s personality depends on two factors which are nature and nurture. As cited in Carducci (2009) Plomin, DeFries, McClearn amp; McGuffin (2001) it’s stated that biological factors do contribute to the physical and personality characteristic such as genetic heritability; however, this does not shows that all individuals’ personality is determined only