Which of the following statements best reflects the current consensus in developmental psychology regarding the role of heredity and environment in children's development?

• A. Children's development is solely the outcome of their heredity and environment, with no other influencing factors.
• B. Children's development is determined only by their heredity, with environment playing no role.
• C. Children's development is determined only by their environment, with heredity playing no role.
• D. Children's development results from a complex interaction between heredity and environment.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the key concepts of heredity and environment in developmental psychology. Heredity refers to the genetic traits passed from parents to children, while environment includes all external factors such as family, culture, and experiences.
2. Step 2: Recognize that early theories often debated whether heredity or environment was the primary influence on development, sometimes called the 'nature versus nurture' debate.
3. Step 3: Learn that modern developmental psychology emphasizes an interactionist perspective, meaning that both heredity and environment work together dynamically to shape a child's development.
4. Step 4: Analyze the given statements by comparing them to this consensus: statements claiming development is solely due to heredity or environment are outdated and overly simplistic.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the statement reflecting the current consensus is the one highlighting a complex interaction between heredity and environment, as this aligns with contemporary research findings.