Final answer:
Linguistic ability is the characteristic primarily influenced by nurture, as it is developed through environmental exposure. The interplay of nature and nurture shapes many aspects of an individual's development, where phenotype represents the observable traits influenced by both genotype and environmental factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The specific characteristic that is primarily influenced by nurture is b) Linguistic ability. While eye color and blood type are largely determined by genetics, and height is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors such as nutrition, linguistic ability is predominantly developed through environmental exposure and learning. Nature versus nurture debates highlight the dynamic interplay between genetic predispositions (nature) and environmental influences (nurture) in shaping an individual's traits and behaviors.
The observable traits expressed by an organism are described as its phenotype. This encompasses all the characteristics that can be seen or measured, such as linguistic ability, and is distinct from the genotype which is the genetic makeup that can influence these observable traits.
Nurture has a profound impact on various aspects of an individual's development, including temperament, intelligence, and socialization. However, factors like race and gender, which can also affect an individual's political opinion, are influences that stem more directly from both genetic and social factors.