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Our brains double in size in the first 6 months of life, and from birth
until the age of five is when the brain is most receptive and the most
learning occurs. During this time is when we establish our first emotional
connections and studies have shown that this period is responsible for most
of our personality. Harry Harlow’s study with rhesus monkeys shows how
separating an infant monkey from its mother will cause it to be fearful in the
presence of other monkeys. While this study implies that nurture might
prevail in shaping an individual, the video presents another study that is
interpreted differently. A Harvard study was conducted in which 2 year olds
were put in the same room while researchers observed their interaction. Two
of them were inquisitive and outgoing, while one was shy and apprehensive.
Previous research showed that the two playful children had been so since
birth, and one professor leading the study went on to say they have the
general view that there is a small percentage of people (10-15%) that are
given a push by nature to be more introverted or extroverted. The narrator
of the video annotates that the shy kid did not learn this behavior, but rather
was born this way. Given that the two playful children were raised by a
certain set of family members until that age, the argument that this
personality trait had been consistent since birth and is therefore attributable
to genetic makeup falls short of convincing.