Although science is on the fence about whether you can raise your IQ or not, research does seem to suggest that it’s possible to raise your intelligence through certain brain-training activities. Training your memory, executive control, and visuospatial reasoning can help to boost your intelligence levels.

It has been found that IQ scores have increased over the years (Kotulak, 1997). These increases demonstrate that instead of being fixed and immutable, intelligence is flexible and subject to great changes, both up and down, depending on the kinds of stimulation the brain gets from its environment.

Many studies rely on a measure of intelligence called the intelligence quotient (IQ). Intelligence is also strongly influenced by the environment. Factors related to a child’s home environment and parenting, education and availability of learning resources, and nutrition, among others, all contribute to intelligence.

High Intelligence: Nature or Nurture? Where does high intelligence come from? Some researchers believe that intelligence is a trait inherited from a person’s parents. Scientists who research this topic typically use twin studies to determine the heritability of intelligence.

HUMINT—Human intelligence is derived from human sources. To the public, HUMINT remains synonymous with espionage and clandestine activities; however, most of HUMINT collection is performed by overt collectors such as strategic debriefers and military attaches.

General intelligence definitely runs in the family. Twin studies (on both identical twins and fraternal twins) have found a heritability of IQ between 57% and 73%, and in some cases, even higher. Interestingly, genetic studies have revealed that a child’s IQ score is less affected by intelligence genes than an adults.

Another way to estimate a child’s adult height is to double a boy’s height at age 2 or a girl’s height at age 18 months. Remember, a child’s height is largely controlled by genetics. It’s also important to note that children grow at different rates.

Inherited traits include things such as hair color, eye color, muscle structure, bone structure, and even features like the shape of a nose. Inheritable traits are traits that get passed down from generation to the next generation. This might include things like passing red hair down in a family.

Acquired traits include things such as calluses on fingers, larger muscle size from exercise or from avoiding predators. Behaviors that help an organism survive would also be considered acquired characteristics most of the time. Things like where to hide, what animals to hide from and other behavior like that.

Acquired traits are the one that a person develops during his lifetime. These are not passed from one generation to another. On the other hand, inherited traits are present in the person since the time of his birth and are passed on from one generation to another.

Inherited Traits Examples

• Tongue rolling.
• Earlobe attachment.
• Dimples.
• Curly hair.
• Freckles.
• Handedness.
• Hairline shape.
• Green/Red Colourblindness.

Inherited trait : Trait received by offspring from parent. Both physical or behavioral characteristics can be inherited. Acquired trait: Behaviors or that are learned or acquired through interaction with environment and life experiences.

Scientists estimate that about 80 percent of an individual’s height is determined by the DNA sequence variants they have inherited, but which genes these variants are in and what they do to affect height are only partially understood. The function of many other height-associated genes remains unknown.

Traits are inherited during a lifetime cannot be inherited in the successive generation as the changes do not reflect in the DNA of the germ cells. However, any mutations in the germ cells can result in the new traits being acquired by the successive generation.

Acquired characters are inherited during lifetime. These changes occur in the non reproductive tissues, these cannot be passed into the DNA of the germ cells. Hence acquired characters are not inherited.

Lamarck

In a dihybrid cross, Mendel selected two pairs of contrasting characters and they were crossed. The resultant cross showed the segregation of the traits of both the parents which indicated that the traits were inherited independently.

Acquired character, in biology, modification in structure or function acquired by an organism during its life, caused by environmental factors.

1 : gained by or as a result of effort or experience acquired wealth acquired knowledge.

Summary: Personality is not inherited from birth parents says new research on zebra finches. External factors are likely to play a bigger part in developing the personality of an individual than the genes it inherits from its parents, suggests the study.

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Lamarck is best known for his Theory of Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics, first presented in 1801 (Darwin’s first book dealing with natural selection was published in 1859): If an organism changes during life in order to adapt to its environment, those changes are passed on to its offspring.