Nature and Nurture: Genetic and Environmental Foundations of Child Development
Nature and Nurture: Genetic and Environmental Foundations of Child Development
Child development is impacted by both genetic or inherited factors and environmental factors. Genetic factors are inherited from both parents at the time of conception, but can be the result of different types of gene interactions. Environmental factors impact different ways families function and children develop. Environmental factors include the ecological systems that may alter family function, socio-economic status and cultural values and public policy.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
· Genetics
· Family functioning from an ecological systems perspective
· The impact of socioeconomic status
· Cultural values and public policies
“Toddler hopscotch” by Ilya Haykinson is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The Influence of Alleles
In the argument over nature versus nurture in child development, nature is determined by genes passed down from parent to child during conception. Both parents pass genetic traits to their offspring, but different offspring may acquire different traits from each parent. Why do some children in one family have similar characteristics or appearances and yet other children in the same family look very different? The answer lies in the interaction of genes inherited from the mother and father.
Genes and alleles influence the inheritance of traits, through dominant–recessive inheritance, incomplete dominance, X-linked inheritance, genomic imprinting, mutation, and polygenic inheritance. In order to understand genetic inheritance, you need to understand the basics of how genes work, and how they work together with one another.
Fundamental Definitions
Understanding the basic structures and elements of genetics is essential to recognize how various traits are inherited, from appearance to intelligence.
GENE
The basic building block of the study of genetics is the gene; a gene is a single unit of genetic information.
CHROMOSOME
A chromosome is a threadlike strand of DNA encoded with a large number of genes. Humans receive 23 chromosomes from each parent, for a total of 46 chromosomes.
ALLELE
