BSP 201A

Genetic and
Environmental
Foundations
Developmental Psychology
Ms. Shaine C. Hayag, RPm
 Objectives

● Describe what genes are and how they influence human development.

● Identify some important reproductive challenges and choices.

● Explain some of the ways that heredity and environment interact to

produce individual differences in development
 Table of Contents
Genetic Foundations of
01
Development

Reproductive Challenges and

02
Choices

Environmental Context for

03 Development
 Jim and Jim

● Jim Springer and Jim Lewis are identical twins.

● They were separated at 4 weeks of age and did not see each other again until
they were 39 years old.
● Both worked as part-time deputy sheriffs, vacationed in Florida, drove
Chevrolets, had dogs named Toy, and married and divorced women named
Betty.
● One twin named his son James Allan, and the other named his son James Alan.
● Both liked math but not spelling, enjoyed carpentry and mechanical drawing,
chewed their fingernails down to the nubs, had almost identical drinking and
smoking habits, had hemorrhoids, put on 10 pounds at about the same point in
development, first suffered headaches at the age of 18, and had similar sleep
patterns.
 Jim and Jim

● Jim and Jim do have some differences.

● One wears his hair over his forehead, the other slicks it back and has
sideburns.
● One expresses himself best orally; the other is more proficient in
writing.
● But, for the most part, their profiles are remarkably similar.
 Jim and Jim

● They were part of the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart, directed by
Thomas Bouchard and his colleagues.
● The study brings identical twins (identical genetically because they come from
the same fertilized egg) and fraternal twins (who come from different fertilized
eggs) from all over the world to Minneapolis to investigate their lives.
● There the twins complete personality and intelligence tests, and they provide
detailed medical histories, including information about diet and smoking,
exercise habits, chest X-rays, heart stress tests, and EEGs.
● The twins are asked more than 15,000 questions about their family and
childhood, personal interests, vocational orientation, values, and aesthetic
judgments (Bouchard & others, 1990).
 01
Genetic
Foundations of
Development
The
Evolutionary
Perspective
Natural Selection

an evolutionary process by
which those individuals of a
species that are best adapted
are the ones that survive and
reproduce
Adaptive Behavior

behavior that promotes an

organism’s survival in the
natural habitat
Evolutionary
Psychology

emphasizes the
importance of adaptation,
reproduction, and “survival
of the fittest” in shaping
behavior
Evolutionary
Developmental
Psychology
● Extended childhood period allows
time to develop a large brain and
learn complexity of human society
● Many evolved psychological
mechanisms are domain-specific
○ Information processing
● Evolved mechanisms are not
always adaptive in contemporary
society
Evolution and Lifespan
Development

Why do humans live so long

after reproduction?
Evaluating
Evolutionary
Psychology

● Evolutionary psychology
approach is just one theory of
many
○ It has its limitations and
weaknesses, and its critics
Evaluating
Evolutionary
Psychology
● Bidirectional view: environmental
and biological conditions influence
each other
○ Evolution gives us bodily
structures and biological
potentialities, but it does not
dictate behavior
○ People create behavior in the
context of culture
Genetic
Foundations
of
Development
 Genetic Foundations

Genes
segments of DNA
located along the
chromosomes

Chromosomes DNA
store and transmit substance of which
genetic information genes and
chromosomes are
made
Genetic Foundation

● Human genome - complete

set of developmental
instructions for creating
proteins that initiate the
making of a human
organism
Genetic Foundation

● Mitosis - reproduction of
cells

● Meiosis - cell division that

forms sperm and eggs
(gametes)
Genetic Foundation
● Fertilization - a stage in
reproduction when an egg
and a sperm fuse to
create a single cell
○ zygote - a single cell
formed through
fertilization
Sources of Variability

Combining the genes of

two parents in offspring
increases genetic
variability
Sources of Variability

● Chromosomes in the zygote are

not exact copies of those in the
mother's ovaries and the
father's testes
Sources of Variability

● Identical (monozygotic) twins

develop from a single zygote
that splits into two
● Fraternal (dizygotic) twins
develop from separate eggs
and sperm
Sources of Variability

● Mutated genes permanently

altered segment of DNA
Genetic Principles

● Genotype - a person’s
genetic material

● Phenotype - observable
characteristics
Genetic Principles

● Dominant-Recessive Genes Principle -

a dominant gene always exerts its
effects, overriding the potential
influence of the recessive gene
○ A recessive gene only exerts
influence if both genes in a pair
are recessive
Genetic Principles

● Sex-linked genes
○ X-linked inheritance
occurs when a mutated
gene is carried on the X
chromosome
○ Example: hemophilia and
fragile X syndrome
Genetic Principles

● Genetic Imprinting occurs when

genes have differing effects
depending on whether they are
inherited from the mother or
the father
Genetic Principles

● Polygenic Inheritance -
characteristics that are
determined by the interaction
of many different genes
○ gene-gene interaction
Chromosomal
Abnormalities
● Down Syndrome caused by the
presence of an extra copy of
chromosome 21
● Sex-linked abnormalities
involve the presence of an
extra X or Y chromosome (or
the absence of one)
Sex-Linked Chromosomal Abnormalities

Klinefelter Fragile X
syndrome syndrome
males born with occurs more often
XXY instead of XY in males than
females

Turner XYY
syndrome syndrome
females born with males with extra Y
XO rather than XX, chromosome
sometimes causing
infertility
Gene-Linked
Abnormalities

phenylketonuria (PKU) - a genetic

disorder in which an individual
cannot properly metabolize an
amino acid called phenylalanine.
Gene-Linked
Abnormalities

sickle-cell anemia - a genetic

disorder that affects the red blood
cells and occurs most often in
people of African descent.
Dealing with Genetic
Abnormalities
● Every individual carries DNA variations,
but most do not display a disorder
● Today, many genetic diseases can be
detected prior to and immediately after
birth
○ However, knowledge of genetic flaws
leads to difficult choices about how to
manage such information
● Genetic counselors help people make
reproductive decisions
02
Reproductive
Challenges and
Choices
Prenatal Diagnostic
Tests

● Ultrasound Sonography - high-

frequency sound waves used to
create a visual representation
of fetus’s inner structures
● Fetal MRI - magnetic resonance
imaging designed to diagnose
fetal malformations
Prenatal Diagnostic
Tests

● Chorionic Villus Sampling - small

sample of placenta is removed
to detect genetic and
chromosomal abnormalities
● Amniocentesis - samples
amniotic fluid to test for
chromosomal or metabolic
disorders
Prenatal Diagnostic
Tests

● Maternal Blood Screening -

identifies pregnancies with
elevated risk for certain birth
defects
● Fetal Sex Determinant -
noninvasive techniques have
been able to detect the sex of
the fetus at an earlier point
Infertility and
Reproductive
Technology

● Infertility - the inability to

conceive a child after 12
months of attempting
Infertility and
Reproductive
Technology
● In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) - egg and
sperm are combined in a laboratory
dish; fertilized egg is transferred to
woman’s uterus
● Success depends on woman’s age
● Increases risk of multiple births
○ Higher risk of life-threatening
problems
○ Health risks to mother
○ Possible psychological effects on
children
Infertility and
Reproductive
Technology
● Adoption - an alternative to infertility treatment
○ Children adopted early in life fare better
than children adopted later
○ Somewhat more likely to experience
psychological and school-related
problems than non-adopted children
○ No differences in antisocial behavior or
self-esteem
○ Vast majority of adopted children adjust
effectively, and most parents are satisfied
with their decision to adopt
 03
Heredity-
Environment
Interaction
Behavioral Genetics
● Behavior Genetics - seeks to discover the
influence of heredity and environment on
individual differences in human traits and
development
○ Twin studies: compare identical
(monozygotic) twins with fraternal
(dizygotic) twins
○ Adoption studies: seek to discover
whether, in behavior and psychological
characteristics, adopted children are:
■ More like their adoptive parents,
who provided a home environment
■ More like biological parents, who
contributed their heredity
Heredity-Environment
Correlations
● Passive genotype-environment correlations -
occur because biological parents, who are
genetically related to the child, provide a
rearing environment for the child.
● Evocative genotype-environment -
correlations occur because a child’s
genetically influenced characteristics elicit
certain types of environments.
● Active (niche-picking) genotype-environment
correlations - occur when children seek out
environments that they find compatible and
stimulating.
Epigenetic View

● emphasizes that development is

the result of an ongoing,
bidirectional interchange between
heredity and environment
Gene x Environment
(G x E) Interaction

● the interaction of a specific

measured variation in DNA and a
specific measured aspect of the
environment
 Thanks!

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