Epigenetic Influences On Human Development

a). Children are active participants in their own development, reflecting the intrinsic human drive to explore and master one’s environment.

This core concept reflects theorists like Piaget and Vygotsky because both of them see children as active organism in that they can influence and shape their own development and learning (Cole & Wertsch; Miller). Both theorists viewed children as essential central players in the learning process. They did not see children as mini-adults, but rather believed that children saw the world differently from adults and lived by different rules and standards than adults (Miller). As such, both theorists advocated for adults to consider the child’s perspective and understanding of the world.

b). Human development is shaped by a dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience.

Epigenetic states that as human grown and develop, their experiences trigger specific chemical reactions that activate and deactivate parts of the genome (Roxy’s PTA). In some way, epigenetic is examining the interaction between our biology (gene) and our experiences. In particular, it examines factors from our experiences that may influence or change the expression of our gene. Epigenetics is making the claim that both nature and nurture plays a role in our development as human being. It states that the debate about what influence human development should no longer be about just nature or just nurture but need to be about both. Through epigenetic research, it has been shown that the environment has a major impact on expression across the genome (Van IJzendoorn, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & Ebstein,