If we are wired a certain way and our environment is the other half, how do we control what we do and don't do? For example, if a child has a genetic predisposition to violent behavior and was raised by parents who kept him in close proximity to violent behavior, or perhaps even abused him, how is that child responsible if he commits a violent crime? Many people who have committed violent crimes will simply say that it was in their nature to do so. Psychologist Lisa Aspinwall conducted an experiment. He suggests that if a judge receives testimony claiming that the accused's violent behavior is partly caused by genetics and is subject to research (a psychopath's brain versus a non-psychopath's brain), the judge is likely to impose a lighter sentence. Although it is only an experiment, it shows that judges can hand down lighter sentences if they are convinced that the person's genes caused them to do so. For many years, people have gone back and forth in the debate between nurture and nature. This is no longer a debate. Most scientific work concludes that genes provide potential for our behavior, but without environmental factors, these predispositions will never be realized. As Ridley reminds us, “these genes are at the mercy of our behavior, not the other way around.” ».