The Processes by Which Genes and Environment Interact to Influence Development

‘Genes’ refers to units of heredity information that consist of DNA

and are located on chromosomes and can exist in alternative forms

called alleles (http://biology.about.com/library/glossary/bldefgenes.htm).

‘Environment’ according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the

English Language, Fourth Edition states: “[Environment is] The

totality of circumstances surrounding an organism or group of

organisms, especially: the complex of social and cultural conditions

affecting the nature of an individual or community.” A child grows to

possess a detailed nature which obtains that particular form due to

the effects of two major contributing factors. The first influence

comes from the genetic structure which he inherits from his parents

and the second looms from the collective experiences he has from his

daily social interaction with his surrounding environment. The first

section of the essay will present an insight on the influences of

genetic as well as environmental factors on child development. This

section will illustrate the different aspects of child development

that are best understood within an epigenetic framework and how

theories of child development ‘escape’ without considering gene

environment interactions. The second section will discuss the

interplay between genes and environment and their significant

contributions in a child’s development such as intelligence and

acquisition of ‘cultural tools’. In this section, we will look at the

concept of individual differences, the importance of learning their

existence and how biological processes affect individuality through

the study of the transactional model.

The theory of evolution is a useful approach to understand what

aspects of a child develop during his lifespan and how they occur.

Evolutionary theorists believed that development simply reproduces

what was present in the previous generation and will be unchanged in

perpetuity. Humans, however, change in many ways. They develop

physical and psychological characteristics, each having its own set of

causes and development.

Our physical appearances and gender are a result of genetic influence.

Females have two ‘X’ chromosomes while males have one ‘Y’ and one ‘X’

chromosome. Differences in physical development due to chromosome