GENETICS

The Role of Genetics on Development

The Role of Genetics in Development

Role of genetics on development

Most of the researchers in the field of psychology do generally agree to the fact that both heredity and environment have some significant roles in the determination of the human traits observed at different stages of development. These researchers do not always agree the extent to which environment and heredity contribute to the development of psychological disorders and how they both affect each other to the extent that a human trait is formed. It is possible for identical environment to elicit different reactions in different individuals mainly as a result of their differences in their genetic predispositions. The enhancing intellectual stimulation could increase cognitive performances in some children.

It was however still noted that the same levels of stimulation could actually cause some children to show worse cognitive performances than the way they could have perfumed in a minimally stimulated environment. There can thus not be “optimal” or “minimal” performance levels that can be achieved just by changing the environment since all individuals are different. The concept of the role of environment and genetic makeup in determining the development of psychological disorders could best be determined from the perspective of heredity via environment and not through heredity versus environment concept. Some of the suggestions that had been raised by these people that gay males come from families where there are domineering mothers with no prominent masculine figures and that autisms mainly stemmed from poor parenting practices has not been supported by any empirical data. The current research in this area suggests that the genetic makeup has a lot to do with the development of psychological disorders and all that the environment does is to probably enhance the full expression of the traits (Jones, 2005).

Impact of the ...