Nature, Nurture, & Human Diversity Slides PDF

Nature, Nurture, and Human Diversity Modules 10 & 12 PSYC 1101 Ms. Godly-Reynolds ([email protected]) TO DO: Part 1: Introducing the nature v. nurture historical argument and the role of genetics Part 2: How genes and the environment interact to influence h...

Nature, Nurture, and Human Diversity Modules 10 & 12 PSYC 1101 Ms. Godly-Reynolds ([email protected]) TO DO: Part 1: Introducing the nature v. nurture historical argument and the role of genetics Part 2: How genes and the environment interact to influence human development and diversity Part 3: How researchers tease apart the influences of heredity and environment Part 4: The influence of parents and peers, cultural differences, & sex and gender Siblings Adulthood Childhood Why are siblings so different? Genes and the Environment Nature: Biology The expression of genes Nurture: Environment, Parenting Genes: Our Codes for Life Genes Biochemical units of heredity that make up chromosomes, the threadlike coils of DNA When genes are expressed, they provide the code for creating proteins (body’s building blocks) Molecular Genetics: Genes, Chromosomes, and DNA DNA is made up of 4 nitrogenous bases – complementary pairs: Adenine (A) - Thymine (T) Guanine (G) - Cytosine (C) The order of the bases matter: determines which proteins are produced. Genes are made up of DNA Chromosomes are made up of genes Genes (Continued) ❖ Human genome: shared genetic profile that distinguishes humans from other species The Human Genome Project mapped all of the genes that make up the human body https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project Genes determine everything about our genetic inheritance. Question: Genetically, who do you think would be most similar to each other? Do you think you have enough information to guess correctly? Answer: There is no “race” chromosome, so you do not have the information that you need to even guess! The myth of race, debunked in 3 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnfKgffCZ7U The biology of race in the absence of biological races: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAWrwexw-To  An Introduction to the Human Genome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEJp7B6u_dY Humans are 99.9% genetically identical - and yet we are all so different. How can this be? TO DO: Part 1: Introducing the nature v. nurture historical argument and the role of genetics Part 2: How genes and the environment interact to influence human development and diversity Part 3: How researchers tease apart the influences of heredity and environment Part 4: The influence of parents and peers, cultural differences, & sex and gender Genes and the Environment Genes and the Environment Nature vs. Nurture Debate Both nature and nurture play powerful roles in shaping development Epigenetics “in addition to” or “above and beyond” genetics Mechanism by which environments can trigger or block genetic expression 12 Environmental Factors Characteristics are determined in part by environmental factors and experiences Some genes not expressed until they are turned on or off by a specific event Child might not show any behaviors related to nervousness until his parents are in a car accident ❖ Genes and environment interact An outgoing child will choose group activities which she will find reinforcing and continue 13 How do genes & the environment interact? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k50yMwEOWGU TO DO: Part 1: Introducing the nature v. nurture historical argument and the role of genetics Part 2: How genes and the environment interact to influence human development and diversity Part 3: How researchers tease apart the influences of heredity and environment Part 4: The influence of parents and peers, cultural differences, & sex and gender Behavioral Genetics Goal: establish the level of heritability, a measure of the extent to which genes determine a particular behavior or characteristic. Concordance rate: the degree to which a trait or an ability of one individual is similar to that of another 1) Studies of adopted children ▪ Concordance rate with biological parents and adoptive parents Adoptive mother Biological mother Behavioral Genetics 2 types of twins: Monozygotic: identical Share 100% of genes Dizygotic: fraternal Share 50% of genes Behavioral Genetics Goal: establish the level of heritability, a measure of the extent to which genes determine a particular behavior or characteristic. 1) Studies of adopted children ▪ Concordance rate with biological parents and adoptive parents 2) Studies of identical (MZ) twins compared with non-identical (DZ) twins Behavioral Genetics Goal: establish the level of heritability, a measure of the extent to which genes determine a particular behavior or characteristic. 1) Studies of adopted children ▪ Concordance rate with biological parents and adoptive parents 2) Studies of identical (MZ) twins compared with non-identical (DZ) twins 3) Studies of identical twins reared Home A Home B apart (i.e., separated twins) Research Findings Twin and Adoption Studies Studies of twins in adulthood show that identical twins are more alike than fraternal twins in some ways: Personality traits Abilities such as overall IQ But what if they are raised apart? Twin and Adoption Studies Some similarities are found in identical twins despite being raised in different homes: Personality, styles of thinking and relating Abilities/intelligence test scores Attitudes Interests, tastes Specific fears Brain waves, heart rate Identical Twins Raised Apart: Differences “Why are you so neat?” Temperament and Heredity Temperament A person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity Apparent from first weeks of life and generally persists into adulthood Temperament and Heredity Research suggests that temperament differences typically persist Emotionally reactive infants are emotionally reactive 9- month-olds Shy 6-month-olds tend to still be shy at 13 years of age Emotionally intense preschoolers tend to be relatively intense young adults Personality is (partly) rooted in genetics: Twin studies Why Are Siblings Different? Siblings share only half their genes The environment changes with each addition to a family – children are not treated exactly the same Siblings are raised in slightly different families; the youngest child has more older siblings and has older parents Personality similarities The Big Five personality traits: Openness. Conscientiousness. Extraversion. Agreeableness. Neuroticism. Biological (non-twin) siblings > adoptive siblings Adoptive siblings no more similar than any randomly-selected children Can you change your personality traits? - https://www.div12.org/can-you-change-your-personality-traits/ Nature vs. Nurture Biology (Nature) defines a range of possible performance: 90 - 100 120 - 130 Environment (Nurture) determines where in the range you will end up.  Why? 90 - 100 120 - 130 Heritability: Intelligence (~50-80%) The extent to which What biological factors? variation among What environmental factors? individuals in a group Obesity (~50%) can be attributed to What biological factors? their differing genes What environmental factors? Nature vs. Nurture Real-world implications ❖Societal-level applications of such research: “Lost Einsteins” by Molly Shaw https://www.cischarlotte.org/news/lost-einsteins- by-molly-shaw-how-we-are-squandering-american- innovation Remember, environment (Nurture) determines where in the range you will end up. TO DO: Part 1: Introducing the nature v. nurture historical argument and the role of genetics Part 2: How genes and the environment interact to influence human development and diversity Part 3: How researchers tease apart the influences of heredity and environment Part 4: The influence of parents and peers, cultural differences, & sex and gender Parents or Peers? Blame or Credit? ▪Peers ▪ The degree of peer influence is difficult to trace. ▪ Interaction with peers can teach new social skills. ▪ Gardner (1998) concluded parents and peers are complementary influences. Parents Versus Peers Parents have more influence Peers have more influence on: on: Education and career path Learning cooperation skills Prosocial behaviors (e.g., Learning the path to popularity cooperation) Choice of music and other Self-discipline recreation Responsibility Choice of clothing and other Charitableness cultural choices Religion Good and bad habits Interaction style with authority figures (e.g., teachers)  When do you think we see a large shift from greater parental influence to greater peer influence? Cultural Influences Cultural Influences Culture Patterns of ideas, attitudes, values, lifestyle habits, and traditions shared by a group of people and passed on to future generations Each culture has norms—-standards for acceptable, expected behavior. Culture shock: feeling lost about which behaviors are appropriate Examples of Cultural Variation Over Time Variation can occur within the same culture: Gender equality increases People sleep less, socialize in person less, and stare at screens more People marry more for love and expect more romance Cultural Influences on Development Individualism and collectivism Individualist cultures: Value independence Promote personal ideals, strengths, and goals, pursued in competition with others, leading to individual achievement and finding a unique identity Cultural Influences on Development Individualism and collectivism Collectivist cultures: Value interdependence Promote group and societal goals and duties, and blending in with group identity, with achievement attributed to mutual support Culture and Child Raising Parents everywhere care about their children, but raise and protect them differently depending on the culture in which they’re embedded Child-raising practices reflect individual and cultural values that vary across time and place Children thrive under various child-raising conditions Culture and Child Raising Individualist cultures may raise children to be self-reliant and independent Collectivist cultures may raise children to be compliant, obedient, and integrated into webs of mutual support Asian and African cultures may raise children to be more emotionally and physically close to others compared to Western European cultures  Cultures Vary In big cities: Parents keep children close In smaller, close-knit communities: Sense of trust: E.g. Scotland’s Orkney Islands’ town of Stromness, social trust has enabled parents to park their toddlers outside shops Sex and Gender Sex vs. Gender Sex Biologically influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, or… intersex Gender Physical, social, and behavioral characteristics culturally associated with male and female roles and identity Gender = interplay among a person’s biological disposition, developmental experiences, and current situation Similarities and Differences Differences: Men Differences: Women Men are 4 times more likely to die Women enter puberty sooner and by suicide or develop alcohol live about 5 years longer dependence On average, women have 70 Men are more likely to have percent more fat and 20 percent childhood diagnosis of autism less muscle, and are 5 inches spectrum disorder, color- shorter blindness, or ADHD Women have twice the risk of Men are at a greater risk for developing depression and 10 antisocial personality disorder times the risk of developing an eating disorder Similarities: Creativity, intelligence, emotions, etc. – we share 45 of 46 chromosomes and overall, we’re more than 99% the same! How we’re treated is another story…  Reflections on Nature, Nurture, and Their Interaction The biopsychosocial approach considers all factors that influence individual development Biological factors (evolution, genes, hormones, and brains) Psychological factors (experiences, beliefs, feelings, and expectations) Social–cultural factors (parental and peer influences, cultural individualism or collectivism, and gender norms)  Next Steps What did you learn today? – Reflect on this while you review your notes – Fill in any holes by referring back to the textbook & by studying together (e.g., virtually) What are you curious about? – Post on Packback to continue the conversation about today’s topic