Understanding Genetics, Socioeconomic Status, and Child Development

Posted on Jan 9, 2025 in Psychology and Sociology

Dominant-Recessive Inheritance

Dominant-Recessive: RR and Rr are both expressed as dominant, but rr is expressed as recessive — Dimples

Incomplete Dominance

Incomplete Dominance: RR expressed as red, rr expressed as white, and Rr expressed as pink — Sickle cell

X-Linked Inheritance

X-Linked Inheritance: The X chromosome holds much more information than the Y. X-linked inheritance is when an illness/disorder is passed down through the gametes (the mother) — Color blindness

Polygenic Inheritance

Polygenic Inheritance: Inheritance that involves many genes. — Eye color

Mutations

Mutations: Occur when a DNA gene is damaged or changed in such a way as to alter the genetic message being carried by that gene. (A sudden or permanent change in a segment of DNA)

Chromosomal Abnormalities

Chromosomal Abnormalities: Are a major cause of serious development problems. Most are a result from mistakes that occur during meiosis– Down syndrome (This results in more problems than a mutation because there is a problem with the whole chromosome).

Monozygotic Twins

Monozygotic Twins: When the zygote splits at the moment of fertilization (they are identical twins because they have identical genes)

Dizygotic Twins

Dizygotic Twins: When there are two separate eggs released at the same time and are fertilized by two separate sperms. (Fraternal twins, they are not identical)

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

  • Growing up wealthy: 10% of these children by 7th grade have much higher issues with alcohol/drugs, these kids also have lower grades, legal issues, increased anxiety and depression, they also have a sense of false security, have extreme materialism.
  • Growing up in poverty: You are stressed about housing, healthcare, childcare. Stress and hopelessness can lead to the same negative effects (15% of Americans live in poverty, 22% of children live in poverty in the U.S., 3 million Americans in the U.S. are homeless.)

Cultural Context

Cultures shape family interaction, school experiences, and community settings beyond the home. In short, all aspects of daily life. Many of us remain blind to the aspects of our own cultural heritage until we see them in relation to the practices of others.

How Do Genes and Environment Influence Development?

  • Environments influence the child before they are even born.
  • Which means that because of the child’s genetic makeup, individuals differ in their responsiveness to the qualities of the environment. (Gene-environment interactions can apply to any characteristic)

Correlation

Correlation: When two factors are interdependent on each other (weight and height)

  1. Passive: Newborn — the child has a genetic predisposition to be “musically talented”
    • Their parents introduce them to a musical environment.
    • This is passively introduced
  2. Evocative: 8 Months — through a child’s body language they are able to communicate what they like or dislike.
    • Whatever they like, evokes the kinds of environments that make them happy. (going outside to play, coloring inside, etc..)
  3. Active: 1-2 years old — we tend to actively request to spend time in environments that allow us to express our genetic environments.

Epigenetics

Epigenetics: Development resulting from ongoing bidirectional exchanges between heredity and all levels of the environment. — ex: diet and diabetes

The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the U.S. Position

Created back in 1989, it contains the rights that all children should be guaranteed– Right to healthcare, nourishment, education, loving family– U.S. expertise helped create the document, but because the U.S. people felt threatened by this document (making them think that the government would intervene too much) — we did not sign it (one of two countries that did not)

Children’s Defense Fund

Created in 1973 by Marion Wright Edelman. The fund does research on what percentage of children go without healthcare, housing, or nourishment

  • They also educate the public on issues that children are having and how to bring help to them when they need it.