Final answer:
Nature refers to heredity or genetic traits, and nurture refers to environmental influences; epigenetics studies the interaction between these two. The correct answer is A. nature; nurture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrase “nature versus nurture” refers to the long-standing debate over the relative contributions that genes and environmental factors make to the shaping of our behavior and personality. The correct answer to the question '_____ refers to heredity and _____ refers to environmental influences' is A. nature; nurture. Nature signifies the genetic or biological attributes we inherit from our parents, whereas nurture denotes the range of environmental influences that impact our development from childhood to adulthood. This includes factors like our upbringing, education, culture, and personal experiences.
The field that focuses on genes and their expression is known as epigenetics. This field elaborates on how environmental factors can lead to changes in the way genes are expressed, without altering the DNA sequence itself, essentially bridging the gap between nature and nurture. This complex interplay emphasizes that while we are born with particular genetic predispositions, the environment significantly shapes how these genes are expressed and how we behave.