Chapter 2: Genetic Bases of Child Development
Biology of Heredity
- About 200-500 million sperm gets released into vagina (about 5 mm per)
o Only about 100 complete the 15-20 cm journey
- In vitro fertilization (IVF): mixing sperm and egg together in a dish and inject it in the mother’s
uterus
o Only about 1/3rd attempt succeed
- Most cells of the body have 46 chromosomes
o Contains genetic material
o Gametes each have half that number (23 chromosomes combined to form 46 (female
+ male))
They will then fight each others to form a human
Containing 22 pairs of autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes
The Egg always contains the X while The Sperm contains either X or Y
XX = girl
XY = boy
o Each chromosomes consists of 1 molecule of DNA
Guanine (G) is paired with Cytosine ©
Adenine (A) is paired with Thymine (T)
Each group provides a specific instruction called Gene
o Genotype: set of genes that forms an organism’s genetic information
o Phenotype: set of observable traits such as physical, behavioural, psychological
Single Gene Inheritance
- Alleles: genes in different forms
- Homozygous: 2 identical copies of specific genes
- Heterozygous: 2 different copies of the same genes
o When a person is heterozygous one allele is dominant, the other is recessive
Dominant = chemical instructions are followed
Recessive = instructions ignore WHEN COMBINED with Dominant
- Incomplete dominance: one allele does not dominate another completely
o Sickle-cell trait: occurs when a person has one dominant and one recessive allele
Individual show signs of mild anemia when they are short of breath (asthma)
Genetic Disorders
Inherited Disorders
- Huntington’s disease: dementia caused by dominant allele (degeneration of nervous system)
- Most disorders are sex-linked: disorder is carried on by sex chromosomes
o Hemophilia: blood does not clot easily and can bleed severely with minor injury
Common in male children
- Down syndrome: caused by an extra 21st chromosome intellectual disability
o They have almond-shaped eyes (head, neck and nose is a bit smaller than usual)
Heredity, Environment and Development
- Behavioural genetics: genetics that deals with inheritance of behavioural and psychological
traits
o Polygenic Inheritance: combined activity of many separate genes
Dominant alleles = Upper-case letter
Recessive alleles = Lower-case letter
- Monozygotic twins (identical twins): singled fertilized egg splits into 2
- Dizygotic twins: come from 2 separate eggs fertilized by 2 separate sperm
- Adopted children:
o If the child’s behaviour resembles that of his biological parents = impact of hereditary
o If it resembles that of his adoptive parents = impact of environment
- CRISPR: gene editing
- Heredity can affect psychological characteristics:
o Knowing letter sounds
o Resisting temptation
o Behaving aggressively toward peers
o Identical twins are more alike than fraternal twins
Path from Genes to Behaviour
- Genes and environment interact throughout child’s development
o Genotype don’t always result in specific observable traits (phenotypes)
o Reaction range: range of possible phenotypes that a genotype can produce in response
to different environmental conditions
- Environmental factors can trigger genetic expression leading to changes in gene activity and
developmental outcomes
o Experiences can modify gene expression through Epigenetics (where certain genes are
turned on or off)
o Nonshared environmental influences: siblings under the same roof but is different from
each others
- Vice versa, genes can influence the kind of environment the child is exposed to
o Niche-picking: deliberate seeking environments that fit one’s heredity