3A - Hereditary And Environment Factors

Question 1

What is psychological development?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Heredity

Answer 2

the passing on of genes or genetic information from parents to their offspring

Question 3

Hereditary Factors

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What Are The Environmental Factors?

Answer 4

Emotional - attachment, close interpersonal relationships, comfort
Sociocultural - income, religion, beliefs, social norms, culture
Prenatal - exposure to drugs and toxins, mother’s nutrition during pregnancy
Physical - exposure to disease, extreme temperatures, nutrition, accidents/injury
Learning - sensory input and stimulation, play, quality of education

Question 5

Interaction Between Hereditary And Environmental Factors (+ Example)

Answer 5

Even though we are all born with specific genes inherited from our biological parents, there is a complex interaction between these genes and our environment. As you already
know, the unique experiences we have within our environment can influence how our genes are expressed – our phenotype. For example, the combination of genes that we receive is associated with our level of intelligence, but this is not set in stone. A diverse range of environmental factors, such as encouragement, access to quality education and opportunities for extension or achievement, will influence the expression of these genes and, therefore, how intelligent we become

Question 6

Genotype Vs Phenotype

Answer 6

Geno - all the genes that a person inherits from their biological parents
Pheno - how a person’s genes are expressed (the combination of observable traits and characterisitcs)

Question 7

Ethical Concepts

Answer 7

Integrity - the commitment to searching for knowledge and understanding and the honest reporting of all sources of information and results
Justice - fair consideration of competing claims, no unfair burden on a particular group, and fair access to benefits of an action
Respect - consideration of the value of living things, giving due consideration of the capacity of living things to make their own decisions
Beneficence - the commitment to maximising benefits and minimising risks and harm
Non-Maleficence - the avoidance of causing harm

Question 8

Ethical Guidelines

Answer 8

Confidentiality – ensures participants remain anonymous, and their personal information is kept private, protected and secure throughout the study
Voluntary participation – each participant freely agrees to participate in a study, with no pressure or coercion
Informed consent – before a study begins participants agree to participate after they have received all of the details of the study, including the purpose, procedure and potential risks
Withdrawal rights – participants are free to discontinue their involvement in a study at any point during or after the conclusion of the study, without receiving any penalty
Deception – withholding the true nature of the study from participants, when their knowledge of the true purpose may affect their behaviour and subsequent validity of the investigation
Debriefing – providing information to participants at the end of the study, including the true aims, results and conclusions, and answering any questions, clarifying any deception and providing support to ensure no lasting harm