HEREDITY AND THE

ENVIRONMENT

CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
 INTRODUCTION
All children are different from one another in the way they look & the
way they act, even siblings raised in the same family can be very
different

These differences are due to the fact that everyone has a different set
of inherited characteristics or what we call HEREDITY.

Everyone has different relationships, physical settings and learning

experiences, which we call the „ENVIRONMENT.

In many years pyschologists debate on the influences of heredity

and the environment on the development of an individual.

It is believed that the optimum development of an individual depends

on the interaction between both heredity and environment.
 2.1 BIOLOGICAL BEGINNINGS
 Genetics deals with heredity, especially
the mechanisms of heredity
transmission and the variation of
inherited characteristic's among similar
or related organisms.
 
 Genetics is determined by your parents
genes. Their genes determined what
you are if your a male or a female.
 2.1.1 Forming a New Life
Conception – new cell nucleus
formed from genetic material of ovum
and genetic material of sperm
New cell is the zygote
Each parent contributes 23
chromosomes, 46 total, organized into
23 pairs
Chromosomes - threadlike bodies in
nucleus of each cell made up of genes
5
2.1.2 Mechanism of Heredity
 A- Genetic Code
Each of us carries a genetic code that
we inherited from our parents.

This code is located within every cell

in our bodies.

The code is the mechanism for

transmitting characteristics from one
generation to the next.
DNA
Genes
Chromosomes
 Definition of DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a
complex molecule, shaped
like a double helix, that
contains genetic
information.

9 Black Hawk College

What Are Genes?
The units of hereditary information
—short segments composed of
DNA—that act as a blueprint for
cells to reproduce themselves and
manufacture the proteins that
maintain life.
Definition of Chromosomes
Threadlike structures comprised of
thousands of genes, that come in 23
pairs, one member of each pair
coming from each parent
 Mitosis and Meiosis
Mitosis is the process by which
each chromosome in the cell’s
nucleus duplicates itself.
Meiosis is the process by which
cells divide into gametes
(testes/sperm in males, ovaries/eggs
in females), which have half the
genetic material of the parent cell.
The Difference Between Mitosis
and Meiosis

Mitosis Meiosis
 Focus is on cell growth Involves sexual
and repair
 The number of
reproduction
chromosomes present The chromosomes
remains the same (the are halved
chromosomes copy Four daughter cells
themselves)
 Two daughter cells are
are produced
formed
 The Process of Human
Reproduction
Reproduction begins when a female
gamete (ovum) is fertilized by a male
gamete (sperm).
This produces a zygote—a single cell
formed through fertilization.
In the zygote, two sets of unpaired
chromosomes combine to form one set of
paired chromosomes.
(b) Pattern of Heredity Transmission

i- Single gene-pair inheritance

Pattern described by Gregor Mendel
Human characteristics influenced by
one pair of genes (one from mother,
one from father)
A dominant gene trait will be
expressed
A recessive gene trait will be
expressed only when the gene is
paired with another recessive gene
Caption: Can you curl your tongue?
ii- Sex-Linked Inheritance
Sex-linked characteristics are influenced by single genes located
on sex chromosomes
Actually X-linked because most attributes are associated with
genes on the X
Y chromosomes are smaller and have fewer genes to serve as
counterpart or to dominate
Example: if a boy inherits a recessive color-blindness gene
on the X, there is no color vision gene on the Y to dominate
the color-blindness gene
A female who inherits a color-blindness gene usually has a
normal color-vision gene on her other X chromosome that can
dominate the color-blindness gene
If a female is to be color-blind, she must inherit the gene on
both Xs
Hemophilia is another condition that illustrates the principles of
sex-linked inheritance
Caption: X-linked inheritance
iii-Polygenic Inheritance
Traits such as height, weight, intelligence,
personality, and susceptibility to cancer and
depression are polygenic
Influenced by multiple pairs of genes
interaction with environmental factors
Many degrees of expression are possible in
polygenic traits
Traits tend to be distributed in the
population according to the normal curve
 2.2 HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Heredity and Environment

• Many scientists believe that
heredity and environment
each play a significant role in
development.
• Heredity is set before birth
and is unchangeable.
• Environment after birth
changes regularly.
 2.2.1 Behavioral Genetics
Behavioral genetics
Study of the extent to which genetic and
environmental differences contribute to
differences in traits
Use heritability estimates
The proportion of all the variability in the
trait within a large sample that can be linked
to genetic differences among individuals
Variability that is not associated with
genetic differences is associated with
environmental and experiential differences
 Behavioural Genetics
The study of the inheritance of behavioral
and psychological traits.
Many behavioural genotypes reflect
polygenic inheritance, which involves many
genes.
Behavioural geneticists rely upon twin
studies (monozygotic and dizygotic) and
adoption studies.
Intelligence, psychological disorders (i.e.
depression and schizophrenia),and
personality (introversion/extroversion) are
all strongly affected by heredity.
2.2.2 How Heredity and Environment Work Together
Many developmental scientists see heredity and environment as
fundamentally interwined and also constantly interacting to
mould the developing person .

They see both as part of a complex developmental system . It is

through a combination of factors such as biological and
psychological makeup, the social, economic and culture, that
help shape development

 Horowitz (2000) believed the more advantageous these

circumstances and the experiences to which they give rise to,
the greater the likelihood of optimum development
 2.3 GENE-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS

The effects of genes depend upon the

nature of the environment and how the
individual responds to the environment
Often takes a combination of high-
risk genes and high-risk environment
to trigger psychological problems
 2.3.1 Reaction Range
Reaction range highlights two important points:
(a) As individuals have unique genetic makeup,
each of us responds differently to the same
environment.
(b) Sometimes different genetic-environmental
combinations can make two people look the same.

In conclusion, range of reaction reveals that

unique blends of heredity and environment lead
to both similarities and differences in behavior.
 2.3.2 Gene-Environment Correlations
Three kinds of gene-environment correlations
Passive – the home environment that parents
provide their children is correlated with the
children’s genotypes
Evocative gene-environment correlations
Child’s genotype evokes certain types of
reactions from others
Active gene-environment correlations
Children’s genotypes influence the kinds of
environments they seek
2.3.3 Environmental Influences on Gene Expression
The concepts that we studied so far have put heredity as the
priority.

However, some researchers argue that heredity does not

dictate children’s experiences or development in a rigid
way, but adults can provide children with positive
experiences that would challenge and modify the
expression of heredity and yield favourable outcomes.

Evidence also reveals that the relationship between heredity

and environment is not a one-way street, from genes to
environment to behaviour.
Instead, it is bidirectional: Genes affect children’s behaviour
and experiences, but their experiences and behaviour also
affect gene expression

Stimulation both internal to the child (activity within the

cytoplasm of the cell, hormones released into the
bloodstream) and external to the child (home,
neighbourhood, school, and society) triggers gene activity.]

Gottlieb (1998, 2000) called this the epigenetic framework.

Epigenesis means development resulting from ongoing,
bidirectional exchanges between heredity and all levels of the
environment.
THE END………………