How do genetics and environment affect people at different stages of development

Question

How do genetics and environment affect people at different stages of development?

1. Identify a typical developmental milestone for a person at a specific stage and explain how achievement of this milestone might be impacted by genetics and environment.

2. Do you feel one factor, genetics or environment, might impact a person more strongly at certain ages? For example, if an infant is at home with only his mother all day for the first year of life, will his acquisition of language, motor skills, etc. be different from a child who spends his first year in daycare with several children of varied ages? What if the two children in this example were 6 years old?

Give details and specific examples to support your answers. Provide the complete URL of any website where you find information to support your posts.

Explanation / Answer

Every individual on this earth is different to each other. They are differ either physically or psychologically. The basic source of personality development are hereditary and environment.

Heredity

Heredity refers to the genetic inheritance received by every individual at the time of conception. The origin of every human life can be traced to a single cell called zygote. It is formed by the union of sperm and ovum.The sperm and ovum will contain 23 pairs of chromosomes out of which one will be sex determining chromosome. Female will have 23 pairs of XX chromosomes. Male will have 22 pairs of XX and 2 single, represented as XY. X chromosome from mother and Y chromosome from father will lead to male offspring, XX from both parents give rise to female. In each chromosome there are innumerable genes. These genes are the real determiners of hereditary characteristics—which pass on from one generation to the other. At the time of conception, the genes from chromosomes of both the father and the mother fuse together and determine the traits of the offspring to be born.

The physical characteristics such as height, weight, colour of eye and skin, social and intellectual behaviour are determined by heredity. Differences in these characteristics are due to the change in the genes transmitted. Fraternal twins also differ from each other, because they are born out of different genes. However, we find more resemblances in identical twins because they are born out of monozygotic.

Environment

In simple terms environment means the society, the fields of society and even the whole world. But here, the word environment is restricted to mean the environment within mother’s womb and just born, as well as the environment around the individual.The environmental influences are those which act upon the organism at the earlier stages of development, i.e., before and also after birth. Environment means all that is found around the individual. The zygote is surrounded by a jelly like substance known as ‘cytoplasm’. The cytoplasm is an intracellular environment which influences the development. Though the life begins with single cell, in the process of cell division several new cells are formed and a new internal environment comes into existence.The fetus is also connected to the mother by the umbilical cord, through which the nourishment is supplied. Sufficient nourishment is necessary from the mother. Otherwise the child will suffer from malnutrition. The defects in mother like drug or alcohol addiction, smoking, malnutrition, diabetes, endocrinal disturbances, small uterus and such other problems cause many problems in child.

The psychological state of mother like over excitement, depression also may cause damaging effect on the child.

After nine months, the child is born and enters a new environment which is entirely different. A new life begins in a new environment. This new environment will have a different culture, ideology, values, etc.The home atmosphere, parental love and affection, association with sibling, neighbours, peers, teachers, etc. will create an entirely different and new atmosphere. This is called social environment. All the social factors stated above shape the personality of the child.

1. Identify a typical developmental milestone for a person at a specific stage and explain how achievement of this milestone might be impacted by genetics and environment.

Growth is defined as an increase in the size of an individual due to increase in all number and size of the cells, resulting in an overall increase. This increase can be seen, appreciated & measured accurately. A loving and supportive environment would help to develop confidence. There are some developing skills such as Gross and fine motor development, capacity to speak, able to eat, draw picture, cognitive and thinking ability, understanding and problem solving capacity, social interaction with others, making new friends, having sympathy for others etc.

There are some certain stages for development of child’s. Developmental milestones are age specific goal that should be fulfilled by a child. These are the set of abilities that children typically achieve by a certain age. As for example, Walking should be performed by a child within 12 months of age.

Certain hereditary factors influences on the body formation. Tall parents have tall offspring. Genetic & chromosomal disorder also effect on growth & development of a baby. Sometimes it is not possible to prevent the genetic factors but to take necessary care.

Nutritional deficiency considerably retards physical growth. Malnourished mother produce babies with IUGR. Over nutrition may cause obesity. So to control the nutritional requirements of mother is necessary to have a health child.

Poor socio-economic condition affects growth & development.Sanitary conditions, various parasitic morbidity, poor housing, stressful family condition, bad financial situation etc have a serious effect on Child Growth and Development. Children’s coming from adequate finances are more likely to grow and develop to optimal levels.

2. Do you feel one factor, genetics or environment, might impact a person more strongly at certain ages? For example, if an infant is at home with only his mother all day for the first year of life, will his acquisition of language, motor skills, etc. be different from a child who spends his first year in daycare with several children of varied ages? What if the two children in this example were 6 years old?

Heredity refers to the genetic inheritance received by every individual at the time of conception. The physical characteristics such as height, weight, colour of eye and skin, social and intellectual behaviour are determined by heredity.

In simple terms environment means the society, the fields of society and even the whole world. Like heredity, environment also has been found to play a very important role in determining the behaviour and personality development of an individual. The environmental influences are those which act upon the organism at the earlier stages of development. Hence, we can say that environment means all that is found around the individual. Though the life begins with single cell, in the process of cell division several new cells are formed and a new internal environment comes into existence. This new environment will have a different culture, ideology, values, etc.The home atmosphere, parental love and affection, association with sibling, neighbours, peers, teachers, etc. will create an entirely different and new atmosphere. This is called social environment.

Whatever the heredity supplies, the favourable environment brings it out. Personality characteristics attained by heredity are shaped by environment.

At first year of life, when the child is with his mother at home, will develop all his developmental milestone of that particular age because child in this age group have dependency towards caretakers for getting feeding and fulfiling his basic needs. Home is his social environment. The child's family is the most important factor in his development during first few years of his life. Whether he is raised by parents, grandparents, or others, the family provides bonding and first relationships. The successful family preserves the innocence of the child by nurturing and protecting him, or on the flip side, allows him to be exposed to negative experiences which can harm his development. Styles of parenting have a big affect on child development, as well.

But when the child at 6 years old, should have proper interactions with peer groups and others; so he can be send to schools or day care centres to have good socail environment. Thus he can develop social skill along with psychomotor and cognitive skills.  nurture plays a very big role in early human development. Nurture in some way or another speeds up an individual's capacity to study and learn new things. There is the common saying that “practice makes perfect." Therefore, an individual can improve knowledge by practicing to adapt to all creations in these circumstances or environment. Nature is responsible for the normal development of the fetus into a normal and healthy infant, but it cannot entirely develop that fetus into an intelligent, knowledgeable or athletic adult. This is possible only through the exposure that nurture gives a person. Therefore, it would be correct to say that although the nature has some degree of influence, nurture strongly influences early human development.

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