#1 - HEREDITARY AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

#1: the interactive influences of hereditary and environmental factors on a person’s psychological development

What is Psychological development

Psychological development refers to the changes in an individual's social, emotional and cognitive abilities, from infancy through to old age.

Psychological development - Emotional development

refers to changes in how a person experiences, interprets and expresses a full range of emotions, and their ability to cope with them appropriately.

Psychological development - Social development

refers to changes in a person's ability to interact with other people and function as a member of society.

Psychological development - Cognitive development

refers to changes in an individual's mental abilities (e.g. thinking, learning, imagination, perception, reasoning, decision making, memory, problem solving and use of language).

What are factors that influence psychological development?

Hereditary factors (Nature) & Environmental factors (Nurture)

Hereditary Factors

internal influences on development that result from the genetic information passed from biological parents to their offspring.

Environmental Factors

external influences on development that occur within a person's environment.

What is a genotype?

All of the genes you inherit from your biological parents make up your genotype.

What physical characteristics can your genotype determine?

Skin tone, hair colour, eye colour, nose shape, and facial features.

How can genotype influence non-physical traits?

It can significantly influence aspects of personality, intelligence levels, or the likelihood of developing a mental disorder.

Interaction between hereditary & environmental factors

Environmental factors interact with your genes to influence how your genotype is expressed

What are Environmental Factors

Emotional environment, physical environment, Prenatal environment, learning environment, sociocultural environment.

INTERACTION BETWEEN HEREDITY & ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS - what influenced people more nature or nurture?

It is generally accepted that nature (hereditary factors) determines our potential (or predisposes us) and nurture (environmental factors) determines whether we reach that potential.

Interaction B/w Hereditary Factors. (Bidirectional)

The relationship between hereditary and environmental factors also works in the opposite direction (i.e. it is bidirectional) - our genes can influence how we interact with our environment.