Arnold Gesell and the Twins Climbing Stairs!!!

Arnold Gesell elaborated one of the first twin studies conducted using the twin method. This study’s main goal was to examine and study early development. Before starting his experiment or study Arnold noticed that identical twins were very similar both physically and behaviorally or psychologically so he decided to use the co-twin control method to examine the effects of physical training or improvement in the twins. Arnold started his experiment by studying a pair of twins; neither of them could climb stairs when they were forty-six weeks of age. On of the twins was given daily lessons and encouragement on how to climb the stairs, while the co-twin had no stairs in his surroundings. After six weeks of constant practice, the trained twin learned to climb the stairs while the co-twin surprisingly could also climb the stairs.

Gesell later performed or replicated this study with several twins and demonstrated that physical training can cause physical skills to appear sooner but that identical co-twins who were trained later performed the same after a short period of training. Gesell’s experiment demonstrated twins usually demonstrate the same physical skills without having the environment having a great toll or effect. This study was a very simple study that summarized how the environment does or does not influence human behavior. Even though it was a very simple procedure it can be considered unethical for the fact that the twins were separated at a very little age and this could have caused some sort of trauma or psychological problem. Gesell proved and achieved his goal by studying twins.