Matt Normand, Ph.D

Why Nature vs. Nurture Should Just Go Away

Nature or nurture? Most modern theorists stress the importance of both nature and nurture, preferring instead to question how much of a role each plays in the development any given trait (physical or behavioral) rather than to question which is responsible for a specific trait or which is responsible for traits in general. Although seemingly prudent, such a line of inquiry is almost as flawed as an either/or conceptualization of the debate. The present paper will discuss why this is so by 1) providing a clearer conceptualization of “environment” at two levels of analysis (macro-level and micro-level), 2) providing examples of the complex interaction of the environment and genes with respect to various physical traits, and 3) providing examples of the interaction of genes and the environment with respect to behavior.

Dr. Normand is an assistant professor in the Applied Behavior Analysis program at the Florida Institute of Technology and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  As a researcher, Dr. Normand’s primary interests--broadly defined--are the application of basic behavioral principles to problems of social significance (including autism, obesity, and other community health issues).  Conceptually, he is interested in the role of verbal behavior in “complex” human behavior such as problem solving.

Dr. Normand is on the editorial boards of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and the Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Interventions, and serves as a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.  He has authored (or co-authored) a number of book chapters and peer-reviewed articles in the field of behavior analysis, and regularly presents at state and national conferences.

Dr. Normand received his B.A. in Psychology from Western New England College, his M.A. in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the Florida State University.  He is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Florida Association for Behavior Analysis (where he serves on the Executive Committee), the American Psychological Association, the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Group of ABA, and the Organizational Behavior Management Network.