Module 08 : Genetics

Student Objectives:
To learn more about how genetics and environment work
together in the development
To learn about genes, chromosomes, and DNA
To understand how the environment might affect genetics
To learn about genetic abnormalities and their effect on
the development
To learn about psychological conditions that are genetic

8.1 Introduction
If you have been working through this course
in order, you are now well aware of a
child’s cognitive development from birth to
adulthood.

At this point in the course, we will change gears a bit and

start looking at the role that genetics plays in child
psychology. Before we get too far into this topic, it is
important for you to have a basic understanding of genetics
and how genetics might affect psychology in children. We will
also touch upon the nature versus nurture debate, which will
be further discussed in a future module.

8.2 An Overview of Genetics,

Psychology, and Development
How is child development determined? Though
it is virtually impossible for us to know
about everything that might contribute to
this development, we can look at some of the
most important and influential factors.

One of these, of course, is genetics. By taking a look at the

role of genetics and other factors to play in a child’s
development, researchers can identify how these contribute to
their development.

Each of these influences can be looked at as building blocks.

Though most people have the same basic blocks that are used to
create all that is them, the blocks can be put together in
infinite ways. Think of your own body and personality. How
much of it was shaped by how you were raised and the
experiences you have had, and how much was built based solely
on your genetics?

This is a question that has been studied by psychologists,

philosophers, and educators for centuries, and is, of course,
the debate of nature versus nurture. Nature is our genetic
background, and nurture refers to our environment. Today, the
majority of researchers agree that development involves an
interaction between genetics and environment. Though our
genetics strongly influences some parts of development, there
is also an environmental aspect that can play a role. For
example, when children go through puberty, it is primarily
based on genetics. However, there are environmental factors,
such as nutrition, which can also affect.

Even when a child is in the womb, the environment plays a

part, even though genetics gives the blueprint of development.
The environment can influence and impact how the blueprint is
interpreted. For instance, a child who has a mother who uses
drugs during pregnancy will likely have issues with how their
genetic blueprint is used in their development. This is due,
of course, to the way the environmental factor, the drugs,
affects how the blueprint is read.

Nature versus nurture is an extremely complex situation, one

that will be further discussed in Module 9.

8.3 The Earliest Stage of

Development
To fully understand the role that genetics
plays in our psychology, one must go back to
the very beginning with the male and female
reproductive cells.

The male cell, or sperm cell, comes together with the female
cell, the ovum, in the womb. Each of these cells contains one-
half of the blueprint, or genes, that create a human life.
Each gene contains DNA or the genetic code and instructions
that make up life. All of these genes fit into chromosomes,
and all of our bodies contain 46 different chromosomes. We get
23 of them from our father and 23 of them from our mother.
This ensures that we get the 46 chromosomes we require to grow
and develop correctly. Remember, however, that environment
plays a part, too.

8.4 How Does the Environment

Influence Genetic Expression?
So, now you might wonder how these
instructions influence how children develop
and how they determine what traits they
have.

To fully understand this, it is essential first to understand

how to distinguish between a child’s genetics and the actual
expression that comes from these genes. The term that is used
to describe all of the genes that a person inherits from their
parents is genotype. How the genes are expressed is called
phenotype. These include the physical traits that we can see,
such as eye color or height, as well as nonphysical aspects of
our personalities, such as being extroverted or shy.

The genotype will represent how a child grows up, and the way
the building blocks are put together will determine how the
genes are expressed. One easy way to think about this is to
compare it to building a house. One can use the same
blueprint, yet build a full range of different homes. They
look similar but have different features that are dependent on
the color choices and the materials used. One home might be
painted with brown paint with a grey shingle roof, while the
neighboring home might look the same, but have white siding
with a black tile roof.

8.5 The Factors that Influence the

Way Genes are Expressed
Not all genes are expressed, and whether or
not it is expressed will depend on two
things: the interaction between the gene and
environment, and the interaction of the
individual gene with other genes.

The Interaction Between Genes and the Environment

The environment that a fetus is exposed to, both in the womb
and as they grow, will impact how the genes are expressed. One
example of this is height. Though genetics determine how tall
a person will be, the actual height expression can be
suppressed due to environmental factors such as a chronic
illness or poor nutrition.

The Interaction Between Genes

Sometimes a gene will contain conflicting information with
another gene, and when this happens, one gene battles it out
with another, and the winning gene will express its traits
over the other gene. Other genes work in an additive way. For
instance, if a child has a very tall parent and a very short
parent, the genes of the child might come together and split
the difference, making the child an average height adult.
There are also cases where two genes might have conflicting
information, and one is more dominant than the other. Eye
color is an excellent example of this. The gene for brown eyes
is a dominant gene, and the gene for blue eyes is a recessive
gene. If the child gets a dominant brown eye gene from one
parent and a recessive blue eye gene from another, there is a
very high chance that the child will have brown eyes.

8.6 How Genetic Abnormalities

Affect the Development Process
Even though genes come with directions, as
with anything in life, things can happen
that can affect these.

Sometimes, for instance, when the 23 chromosomes from the male

and the 23 chromosomes from the female come together, the
process of them combining goes wrong. When this happens, the
resulting cell might have more or fewer chromosomes than it
should. This happens so often, in fact, that researchers
believe that about half of all formed zygotes, which is the
name for the group of cells that will eventually form into a
fetus, have more or less than the required 23 chromosomes.
Most of them, however, are naturally aborted by the body, and
the mother never even realizes that this occurs. In some
cases, however, a fetus does form with an abnormal number of
chromosomes. When this happens, the resulting child has a
condition that is determined based on which chromosome is
affected.

An example of this that everyone would know is in the case of

Down syndrome. In this case, the 21st chromosome has three
copies instead of two, which is what we are supposed to have.
This condition is characterized by specific facial
characteristics such as slanted eyes, a round face, and a
tongue that is thicker than it should be. There also might be
issues such as hearing problems and heart defects. Almost all
people with Down syndrome have some form of intellectual
impairment, but the severity of this can vary greatly.

FACT
Genotypes refer to the sets of genes a person has. Phenotypes,
on the other hand, are the physical traits that we can see,
such as eye color, hair color, and personality types.

Source: CPD

Take a Quick Recap Test

8.7 Abnormalities with Sex

Chromosomes
In addition to the 23 chromosomes that the
male and female cells bring to the table to
create a zygote, there are also sex
chromosomes that these cells carry.

A female cell always has an X sex chromosome, and a male cell

has either an X or a Y chromosome, which determines if the
child’s gender is male or female. As with the other
chromosomes, there is a small possibility that there will be
abnormalities with these sex chromosomes, too. In about one in
every 500 births, a child is missing either a sex chromosome
or carries an extra one.

An example of this is Klinefelter syndrome, which is caused by

having an extra X chromosome. This condition is characterized
by a lack of secondary sex characteristics and learning
disabilities. Fragile X syndrome is another example. In this
case, an X chromosome is attached to another chromosome. This
can affect both males and females, and there are various
effects. Some people with this condition will not show any
signs of the condition, and others might have severe mental
retardation. A person with Fragile X syndrome can fall
anywhere on this spectrum. Turner syndrome is the third
example, and in this case, it occurs when there is only one
sex chromosome present. Turner syndrome can only appear in
females, as there is no Y chromosome present. This condition
might result in short stature, a lack of secondary sex
characteristics, and the look of a webbed neck. There are also
psychological impairments that are associated with this
condition, including learning disabilities and emotional
issues.

8.8 Genetic Psychological

Conditions
Though not all psychological conditions are
genetic, there are some that fall into this
category.

These include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression,

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Autism Spectrum
Disorder. This means that children born to a parent who has
these conditions are at risk of developing these conditions
themselves. Though anyone can develop these conditions due to
environmental and other factors, there is a known genetic
link.

Conclusion
As you can see throughout this module, genetics play a
significant role in how a child develops. However, you must
remember that the role of genetics play is only part of the
puzzle. There are several other factors, such as culture,
education, parenting, and even social relationships, that also
play a role in how a child develops. This basic overview of
genetics should give you a reasonable basis for the next
module, and the information you have learned will be useful
throughout the rest of the course.

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