I think it's also a cycle. If a parent is repeatedly dismissive of a child's questions, the child is conditioned not to ask them, and so becomes less inquisitive as a result of nurture. It's clearly not nature, as the generation isn't intrinsically different. Parents don't necessarily need to do something like the extreme example mentioned above, but they could certainly plant a seed by being more open to a lot of "Why?"'s, as annoying as it can be.

I subscribe to this theory. My rules are: always answer a 'why' question without dismissal, unless it is repeated continuously as a game. Rule 2: always tell the truth, even if it is somewhat over the Childs ability to understand. I do not make things like fairies and magic up, except as an obvious fantasy story, and everything from gravity to stars and farming and manufacturing is explained to the best of my ability. I am constantly told how smart my son is, which I accept graciously, but in my head I like to say - that's because I don't fill his head with superstitious bullshit. One of my clearest memories of childhood was the constant disappointment of finding adults had been feeding me crap for years, either out of laziness or ignorance.

Reminds me of:

"Children in professional families are talked to three times as much as the average child in a welfare family," Hart says.

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132740565/closing-the-achievem...