How does cultural anthropology distinguish between biological inheritance and cultural learning?

In cultural anthropology, the distinction between biological inheritance and cultural learning is a foundational concept used to understand human diversity and behavior.1

Cultural anthropology defines culture as the complex whole of knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs, and habits acquired by individuals as members of society. A primary objective of the field is to distinguish these socially acquired traits from those that are biologically transmitted. While biological inheritance involves the genetic traits passed down through populations—which anthropologists study to understand human variability and population history—cultural learning refers to the processes by which infants are transformed into adults who function within a specific social group.123

Anthropologists emphasize that human development is not solely a genetic or psychological process but a sociocultural one. Through enculturation, individuals learn the roles, behaviors, and knowledge necessary to participate in their society. This learning process is essential, as human infants require long-term interaction with adults to develop fully. Consequently, the discipline focuses on how culture shapes human possibilities, contrasting these learned social patterns with the biological factors that influence human traits and potential.214