Another look at heredity and environment as shapers of the person: a proximal-distal framework for consideration

"An important psychological question addressed by population researchers pertains to what causes us to be what we are--what might predict reliably to intelligence, interpersonal style, or other aspects of the psycho-social being. The goal of this paper is not to propose or rule out various causal factors, but rather to offer a developmental perspective that may provide a greater understanding of the ways in which distal and proximal factors might influence such processes throughout the life span. We will begin by reviewing some major approaches and will then attempt to meld these into a developmental perspective.... We offer some inferences we have derived from a review of literature pertaining to four stages of development: infancy and early childhood; pre-school and kindergarten; first through sixth grades; and sixth grade through high school."