Human Development and Determinants of Behavior

What is the core idea behind the "Nature vs. Nurture" concept?

The core idea is that behavior is a result of the dynamic interplay between heredity (nature) and environment (nurture). This relationship can be expressed by the equation B=H×E, where B is behavior, H is heredity, and E is environment.

What is the difference between heredity (nature) and environment (nurture)?

Heredity (Nature) refers to inborn capacities and the influence of genetic inheritance and biological factors. This includes traits you are born with, like eye color or genetic predispositions.

Environment (Nurture) refers to external influences and life experiences that shape an individual's behavior and psychological traits. This includes things like upbringing, culture, education, and social interactions

How is heredity transmitted biologically?

Heredity is transmitted at the time of conception when a female egg cell is fertilized by a male sperm cell. The heredity materials from both parents are combined in the nucleus of the resulting zygote.

What are chromosomes and genes?

Chromosomes are thread-like structures in the nucleus of each cell. Humans have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs (23 from the sperm cell and 23 from the egg cell).

Genes are the heredity units located within the chromosomes. Genetic information is coded along a large molecule called DNA.

What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

Genotype is the genetic makeup of an individual that determines specific traits. The phenotype consists of all of an organism's observable characteristics. The phenotype is the result of the interaction between an organism's genotype and its environment.

Name and briefly describe two principles of heredity.

Two principles of heredity are the Principle of Consistency and the Principle of Variability.

• The Principle of Consistency states that children more closely resemble their parents than any other person.

• The Principle of Variability states that while some traits are consistent, there are also differences among individuals.

What is Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory?

Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory explains that an individual's development is influenced by multiple layers of environmental systems, arranged from the most immediate to the broadest social context. These layers include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem

Describe the five layers of the Ecological Systems Theory.

• Microsystem: The closest environment to the individual, such as family and school.

• Mesosystem: The interactions between different microsystems.

• Exosystem: Settings that indirectly affect the individual, like parents' workplaces or social services.

• Macrosystem: The broader cultural values, laws, and customs.

• Chronosystem: Encompasses changes over time, such as historical events or a change in family structure.