Unit 2 (1).pptx

Child Development & Educational Autumn 2024 Psychology Dr Prama Bhattacharya Factors Influencing Growth and Developmen t Nature versus Nurture  Nature Every aspect of human life has been determined by genetics From one’s level of intelligence to physical attributes, nat...

Child Development & Educational Autumn 2024 Psychology Dr Prama Bhattacharya Factors Influencing Growth and Developmen t Nature versus Nurture  Nature Every aspect of human life has been determined by genetics From one’s level of intelligence to physical attributes, naturalists believe it is all attained from one’s genetic makeup Nurture One’s environment plays a huge role in who a person will be. Nurture suggests that our levels of intelligence and intellectual abilities and successes, or lack thereof, are persuaded and determined by the environment and trials that one may have endured. Genetics plays no part in who one has become or the possibilities of who one will become The Debate The biggest reason the nature vs. nurture debate tends to be controversial is that both sides have verifiable evidence to support their beliefs. Inevitably, it is often difficult for theorists to prove the opposing belief wrong. Thus, in today’s world, the argument is, "Which is more important, nature or nurture or Nature and nurture”? The Verdict Many researchers today believe that human behavior is influenced by both nature and nurture, and that it is often the interaction of the two variables that is even more important. Nature and Nurture What exactly are the relative contributions of nature and nurture? According to research, the answer is about 50/50. Researchers collected the results of nearly every twin study conducted over the last half-century, allowing them to determine which factors contributed to certain characteristics. Twin studies examine similarities and differences by looking at twins who are either raised together or raised apart. This allows researchers to determine the impact of genes versus the environment. Nature and Nurture Researchers analyzed more than 2,700 twin studies involving a whopping 14.5 million pairs of twins from 39 different countries and discovered that genes and environment play roughly equal roles in determining who we are. Variations in personality traits and disease were determined to be 49% due to genetics and 51% due to environment. One important thing to note is that the findings did reveal that genes do play a greater role in the risk of certain diseases. Bipolar disorder, for example, was found to be approximately 70% heritable. Examples of Nature and Nurture IQ Those on the nature side of the debate suggest that the greatest influence on IQ is inheritance. Some early thinkers, such as Francis Galton, believed that intelligence could largely be attributed to genetic factors. Such views have been used to justify discriminatory social policies and attitudes. When some research suggested that some groups of people had lower IQ scores, for example, some researchers interpreted these results to suggest that these individuals scored lower because of genetics. Inequality, Those taking the nurture side of the debate point out that discrimination, and lack other factors, including biased test construction, racism, of access shape and systemic discrimination impacting educational people’s performance access and quality, play a more important role. on intelligence tests and other assessments Height Even if you inherit genes for tallness, proper nourishment is important for reaching that height. Kids who come from tall families might not become tall if they do not receive proper nutrition during their childhood. The Ape and the Child: A Study of Environmental Influence Upon Early Behavior: Winthrop and Luella Kellogg (1933) Kellogg and his wife took into their Florida home a female chimpanzee, Gua, seven and a half months old when their son, Donald, was ten months old. Their purpose was to learn what similarities and differences would develop between Donald and Gua if treated alike in every detail. The chimpanzee was dressed like an infant, in napkins and later in rompers. She was wheeled in a carriage, sat in a high chair, slept in a bed, and was kissed good night. No special effort was made to teach Gua spectacular stunts but rather to teach her the same things a fond parent would do with a baby girl. The experiment was carried out with a careful day-by-day record of observations, films, and tests for a period of nine https://ia801306.us.archive.org/2/items/comparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants/comparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants_512kb.mp4?comparative_tests_on_human_chimp_ infants%2Fcomparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants_512kb_mp4=  The Ape and the Child: A Study of Environmental Influence Upon Early Behavior: Winthrop and Luella Kellogg (1933) Kellogg found that the chimpanzee was able to take on many human ways. Gua wore shoes and walked upright. She could eat with a spoon, drink from a glass, and open doors before the boy acquired those abilities. She imitated human gestures and ways of showing affection, like hugging and kissing Donald and the parents. Like most children, she made a fuss when the ‘parents’ went out and left them alone. Gua’s rate of development was much faster than the boy’s, especially in the motor skills of climbing and jumping. She also learned to respond to ninety-five words and phrases such as ‘kiss Donald,’ ‘shake hands,’ and ‘show me your nose.’ However, she never learned to utter words or phrases other than to make known her wishes through grunts and squeals. Gua’s toilet training https://ia801306.us.archive.org/2/items/comparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants/comparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants_512kb.mp4?comparative_tests_on_human_chim p_infants%2Fcomparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants_512kb_mp4= was appreciably slower than the control achieved by the The Ape and the Child: A Study of Environmental Influence Upon Early Behavior: Winthrop and Luella Kellogg (1933) Although the chimp progressed faster than the boy in the earliest stages, it became evident toward the end of the experiment that she was falling behind, especially in intellectual adaptation to human demands. The early superiority is attributed to the fact that anthropoids generally mature earlier than humans. A monkey reaches puberty at about four years, whereas humans reach puberty between twelve and fourteen on average, with girls usually reaching puberty before boys. The report of this experiment by Dr. Kellogg and his wife indicated that an animal could achieve a good deal of human socializing through training and human association. But it also was noted that “there are definite limits to the degree of humanization that can be achieved by non-human species regardless of the amount of https://ia801306.us.archive.org/2/items/comparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants/comparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants_512kb.mp4?comparative_tests_on_human_chim p_infants%2Fcomparative_tests_on_human_chimp_infants_512kb_mp4= socializing and humanizing effects.” Factors affecting growth and developmen t  FACTORS INFLUENCING PRENATAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Maternal Health Maternal Lifestyle Maternal Environmental Exposures  Maternal Age Chromosomal Anomalies Genetic Risk Factors Additional Risk Factors  FACTORS INFLUENCING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT DURING BIRTH  How Birth Affects Postnatal Development Some of the common birth defects include:  Congenital heart defects  Down Syndrome (a genetic disorder where the baby is born with an extra chromosome) Gestational Period  Cleft palate and cleft lip (malformation of the mouth or lip) Prenatal  Eye defects (microphthalmia or anophthalmia) complications  Ear defects (microtia or anotia) Mother’s Health  Muscular dystrophy (muscle weakness due to genetic disorders) Birth Defects  Microcephaly (abnormally small-sized head)  Diaphragmatic hernia (hole in the baby’s diaphragm)  Hemophilia (defects in blood clotting)  Oesophageal atresia (oesophagus defects)  Spina bifida (malformation of the spine and spinal cord)  Craniosynostosis (skull defects)  How Birth Affects Postnatal Role of Delivery Development Process Infants born spontaneously usually adjust more quickly and more successfully to their new environment than those who experience long and difficult labour where instruments or surgical delivery have to be used. Even in natural childbirth, however, maternal tension, resulting from fear of childbirth, will complicate the birth process and make the infant's  How Birth Affects Postnatal Role of Delivery Development Process Infants born by caesarean section are generally the quietest, crying less than those born spontaneously or with the use of instruments and expelling less energy in random body movements. Unless they are brain-damaged, as a result of difficulty in establishing respiration, they normally make better How Birth Affects Postnatal Development FACTORS INFLUENCING POSTNATAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Role of Heredity and Environment List down a set of characteristics that describe you (for instance, tall, intelligent, lazy, helpful, and other such characteristics). Against each characteristic, write down H if you think you have inherited these characteristics from your parents or other family members, and E if you have developed these from your family, schooling, peers, hobbies, etc.). Adjustments to Postnatal Period Because of the vast difference between the internal and external environments, infants must make radical and rapid adjustments. If they don’t make them, their lives will be threatened. Adjustment to the temperature change: The temperature in the sac in the mother’s uterus is constantly around 100F. In the postnatal environment, it will vary between 68 and 70F. Adjustment to breathing: Before birth, oxygen comes from the placenta through the umbilical cord. After birth, when this cord is cut, the infant must inhale and exhale air. The birth cry normally comes when breathing begins and serves to inflate the lungs. Initially, breathing is irregular and imperfect. The infant yawns, gasps, sneezes and coughs to regulate the breathing process. Adjustments to Postnatal Period Adjustment to taking nourishment: Since the reflex activities of sucking and swallowing are imperfectly developed, the infant is frequently unable to get the nourishment and thus loses weight. This is in total contrast to the prenatal period, where the fetus receives constant nourishment through the umbilical cord. Adjustment to elimination: Within a few minutes after birth, the excretory system begins to function, eliminating waste products from the body that formerly were eliminated through the umbilical cord and the maternal placenta. Heredity Heredity is ‘the sum total of potentialities inherited at birth”. It refers to the genetic inheritance passed from parents to children with the help of chromosomes. Heredity is the transfer of traits from one generation to another Genetic factors can influence various aspects of development, such as physical characteristics, temperament, and even predispositions to certain behaviours and abilities. Heredity sets the limits to success in attaining these potentials depending on the environmental influences or facilities. Physical and Mental (emotional) traits together play a significant role in the transfer of total personality from parents to offspring.  Laws of Heredity Like produces like: According to this law, human beings will produce human beings. Only certain traits are transformed: According to this law, the dominant traits get transferred more easily than the recessive traits. Convergence of two lives: According to this law , both parents play an equally important role in converging their traits to their offspring.  Environment Nutrition: Malnutrition results in failure to grow, involving both weight and height. When malnutrition is corrected, the affected children soon recover, and when this reversal occurs at a young age, most children will attain a complete remission Socioeconomic Status: A higher socioeconomic status includes higher income associated with better education, resulting in better nutrition, better childcare, and better medical and social services. These factors may induce a change in size, rate of growth and development  Environment Urbanization: Urbanization is thought to result in taller stature, which is probably a result of a sufficient food supply, adequate health and sanitation services, education, recreation, and welfare. Such a positive development is found in Europe, the United States, and Australia, but obviously not in the slums of South America or in Africa. When the state of the economy is very high, as in the United States and Australia, the urban-rural difference in stature disappears. In developing countries where the slums are overcrowded with very poor people, urban slum children attain heights and weights similar to rural children  Environment Season and Climate: During the year, there are periods of more rapid growth when the growth rate is three times greater than the time of the slowest growth. These periods of growth rate are synchronized with the seasons, and the most rapid growth occurs in spring In the tropics, a lower food supply during the rainy season may be responsible for changes in growth rate. People have shorter statures at high altitudes, where they are exposed to lower oxygen saturation in the air. Seasonal food scarcities may be one of the causative factors Psychosocial Stress: Acute stress elicits a burst of growth hormone secretion, but chronic exposure to stress suppresses growth hormone secretion, resulting in failure to grow