GeneticsPlomin

1
GeneticsPlomin AsburyPrenatal
DevelopmentFifer MoonNext time Infant
PerceptionSlater et al.
2
Genetics

• Methods of Study
• General Conclusions re What
• General Conclusions re How
• Heritability

3
Areas of Development Affected by Genes

• Intellectual Measurese.g., IQ
• Personality Measurese.g., temperament
• Mental Disorderse.g., schizophrenia, depression

4
Polygenic Inheritance
5
Polygenic InheritanceReaction Range
6

7
Polygenic InheritanceReaction
RangeGene-Environment Correlations (passive,
evocative, active)
8
Polygenic InheritanceReaction
RangeGene-Environment Correlations (passive,
evocative, active)Nonshared Environment
9
Heritability
10
Heritability The proportion of variance in a
trait that can be attributed to genetic variance
in the sample studied
11
Heritability The proportion of variance in a
trait that can be attributed to genetic variance
in the sample studiedRefers to individual
differences, not the trait itself
12
Heritability The proportion of variance in a
trait that can be attributed to genetic variance
in the sample studiedRefers to individual
differences, not the trait itselfIs specific to
the sample studied
13
General Points re Prenatal Development

• All sensory systems operative before birth
• Precise sequence, timing
• Critical periods
• Environment important well before birth

14
Thalidomide
15
Teratogen An agent that can cause abnormal
development in the fetus
16
Teratology The study of the effects of
teratogens on development
17
Types of Teratogens

• Drugs
• Maternal disease
• Environmental hazards
• Internal conditions

18
Teratogens Methods of Study

• Controlled experiments with animals
• Natural experiments with humans

19
Effects of Teratogens

• range of causes
• always negative
• can be permanent
• depend on timing
• increase with dosage
• may be behavioral effects in the absence of
  physical damage
• may be long-term effects in the absence of
  immediate effects
• not inevitable

20
Habituation Decline or disappearance of a
response as a result of repeated presentation of
the eliciting stimulus
21
DeCasper Spence (1986)
22
Non-nutritive sucking preference procedure
23
DeCasper Spence (1986)

• Participants Women 7 1/2 months pregnant
• Procedure Read aloud one of three childrens
  stories each day for the last 6 weeks of
  pregnancy
• Babies tested when 2 days old
• Reinforcement story read during pregnancy or
  novel story
• Finding more sucking to produce familiar story