Heredity vs. Environment — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 8, 2024
Heredity involves the genetic transmission of traits from parents to offspring, while environment refers to external influences shaping development.
Difference Between Heredity and Environment
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Heredity encompasses the biological inheritance of physical and behavioral traits through genes, dictated by the DNA sequences parents pass to their offspring. In contrast, the environment encompasses all external conditions and influences that affect an individual from conception onwards, including cultural, social, and economic factors.
While heredity provides the genetic template, environmental factors can significantly modify, enhance, or suppress these genetic potentials.
Heredity often determines the presence of innate abilities and susceptibilities to diseases, whereas the environment can either nurture these abilities or mitigate the risks associated with genetic disorders.
Both heredity and environment are critical in shaping personality and intelligence, with ongoing debates about their respective contributions to an individual's development.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Transmission of genetic traits from parents to offspring
External conditions influencing development
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Influence Type
Biological and genetic
Social, economic, cultural
Examples of Impact
Eye color, genetic disorders
Language, dietary habits
Role in Development
Sets biological potentials
Modifies or influences potentials
Studies
Genetics, family lineage
Psychology, sociology
Compare with Definitions
Heredity
The passing on of physical or mental traits genetically.
The twins' athletic prowess is attributed to heredity.
Environment
The external factors impacting an individual’s behavior.
The supportive environment at school fostered her confidence.
Heredity
The inheritance of traits coded in DNA.
His aptitude for math is influenced by heredity.
Environment
All external conditions affecting development.
Her vocabulary expanded significantly due to her rich linguistic environment.
Heredity
The genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to child.
Her blue eyes are a result of heredity.
Environment
Social and physical conditions influencing growth.
Changes in her environment affected her stress levels.
Heredity
A biological process where genetic qualities are passed down generations.
Heredity can explain their family's history of high intelligence.
Environment
Influences from outside the genetic makeup.
His musical talent was developed in an environment rich with varied musical influences.
Heredity
Genetic contribution to an offspring’s phenotype.
His susceptibility to asthma is due to heredity.
Environment
The surroundings or conditions in which a person lives or operates.
His success is largely shaped by his nurturing environment.
Heredity
The genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to offspring.
Environment
The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates
Survival in an often hostile environment
Heredity
The sum of characteristics and associated potentialities transmitted genetically to an individual organism.
Environment
The natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity
The impact of pesticides on the environment
A parliamentary environment committee
Heredity
Hereditary transmission of the physical and genetic qualities of parents to their offspring; the biological law by which living beings tend to repeat their characteristics in their descendants.
Environment
The totality of the natural world, often excluding humans
"Technology, of course, lies at the heart of man's relationship with the environment" (Mark Hertsgaard).
Heredity
Hereditary transmission of the physical and psychical qualities of parents to their offspring; the biological law by which living beings tend to repeat their characteristics in their descendants. See Pangenesis.
Environment
A subset of the natural world; an ecosystem
The coastal environment.
Heredity
The biological process whereby genetic factors are transmitted from one generation to the next
Environment
The combination of external physical conditions that affect and influence the growth, development, behavior, and survival of organisms
"Conditions in a lion's environment ... can drive it to hunt people" (Philip Caputo).
Heredity
The total of inherited attributes
Environment
The complex of social and cultural conditions affecting the nature of an individual person or community.
Environment
The general set of conditions or circumstances
A terrible environment for doing business.
Environment
The entire set of conditions under which one operates a computer, as it relates to the hardware, operating platform, or operating system.
Environment
An area of a computer's memory used by the operating system and some programs to store certain variables to which they need frequent access.
Environment
The surroundings of, and influences on, a particular item of interest.
Environment
The natural world or ecosystem.
Environment
All the elements that affect a system or its inputs and outputs.
Environment
A particular political or social setting, arena or condition.
Environment
(computing) The software and/or hardware existing on any particular computer system.
That program uses the Microsoft Windows environment.
Environment
(programming) The environment of a function at a point during the execution of a program is the set of identifiers in the function's scope and their bindings at that point.
Environment
(computing) The set of variables and their values in a namespace that an operating system associates with a process.
Environment
Act of environing; state of being environed.
Environment
That which environs or surrounds; surrounding conditions, influences, or forces, by which living forms are influenced and modified in their growth and development.
It is no friendly environment, this of thine.
Environment
The totality of surrounding conditions;
He longed for the comfortable environment of his livingroom
Environment
The area in which something exists or lives;
The country--the flat agricultural surround
Common Curiosities
What is heredity?
Heredity is the process of passing genetic traits from parents to offspring.
Can environment change genetic traits?
Environment cannot change genetic codes but can influence the expression and impact of these genes.
Are personality traits more influenced by heredity or environment?
Both heredity and environment significantly shape personality, though their relative influences can vary widely among individuals.
What examples illustrate the impact of heredity?
Traits like eye color, hair color, and certain genetic disorders are directly influenced by heredity.
How is intelligence influenced by heredity and environment?
Intelligence is shaped by both genetic factors and environmental influences such as education and upbringing.
How does the environment affect development?
The environment can influence growth, behavior, and development through social, cultural, and economic conditions.
What role does heredity play in health?
Heredity can determine susceptibility to certain diseases and conditions based on genetic inheritance.
Can heredity influence educational achievement?
Genetic predispositions can influence cognitive abilities, which may affect educational achievement, though environmental factors like schooling are also crucial.
What is an example of environmental influence?
An individual’s language skills can be profoundly influenced by the linguistic environment during early childhood.
How do heredity and environment interact in determining height?
Genetic factors set the potential for height, while nutritional and health conditions in the environment play a crucial role in achieving this potential.
Can environmental factors override genetic predispositions?
While genetic predispositions set certain potentials, environmental factors can often enhance or mitigate these traits.
How do psychologists study the effects of heredity and environment?
Psychologists use studies like twin studies and adoption studies to separate the effects of heredity and environment.
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Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
