influence of heredity and environment on child development

influence of heredity on child development

• It is believed on the basis of experiments and studies conducted on heredity that the development of a child gets influenced by heredity. According to psychologists the influnece of heredity on the development of child as under.

1. Effect on Basic Capacities of the Child

• The basic capacities and abilities of child depend on heredity. This view has been propounded by the Thorhdike studied so twins to know their similarites. He studied them through six mental tests.

2. Effect on Physical Traits

• According to Karl Pearson, if the parents are tall their children are also tall and the parents are short structured their children are also short structured.

3. Effect on Intelligence

• In the opinion of Goddard children of intelligent parents are also intelligent and if parents are slow-witted their children are also slow witted. Their family history shows this effect of heredity on intelligence. He proved this by studying the decendants of a soldier named Kolkank.

4. Effect on Superiority of Races

• Kilnberg opinion that race is the cause of superiority of intelligence. According to him whites are superior to negroes of America. In our country Brahimns have been regarded superior to people of other castes.

5. Effect on Professional Skillfulness

• Cattel feels that the main causes of professional skillfulness is heredity. He drew this conclusion by studying 885 families of American scientists. He pointed out that 225 out of these families where professionals, Yi of the families were producers and only 1/4 of the families were agriculturists.

6. Effect on Social Aspects

• Vinshop believes that offsprings of celebrated and virtuous parents are also celebrated and virtuous. They get name and fame. He drew this conclusion by studying the family of Richard Edward. Edward’s wife Elizabeth was also like him. The decendants of these two acquired the positions of M.L.A’s, deans of colleges and vice presidents of their country.

7. Effect on Character

• Doglous proved that the offsprings of characterless parents are characterless, by studying the decendants of Jyuke. Out of 1000 decendants of five generations of this family 300 died in childhood, 310 spent their life in poorhomes, 440 died of diseases, 130 were criminals and only 20 learnt to do some business.

8. Effect on Greatness

• According to Galton the course of the greatness of an individual is his heredity. The height, colour, weight, health, intelligence, capabilities etc. are based on heredity. He expressed his opinion after studying the biographies of greatjuges, politicians, soldiers, literary persons, officials, scientists and players.
• According to Kolesnik the genes of an individual determine the body structure in the same amount, the structure of his mind, nervous system, his other traits, his efficiency of playing and his mathematical ability all depends on heredity. The psychological experiments have proved that heredity adequately influence the physical and mental development of an individual. This effect is seen on the physical traits due to genes. Internal motivational factors determine his temper, but environment also influences human development. Every element of environment exerts its effect on human development.

influence of environment on child development

• Influence of Environment on Human Development Psychologists have conducted many studies and experiments about importance of environment in human development. On the basis of these studies they have proved that physical, social and cultural environments have comprehensive effect on each aspect of personalities of human beings. According to a study conducted by Indian Psychologists more than half of the condidate appearing at I.A.S. exam 1971, were the sons and doughters of parents of ordinary economic status and their children studied in government schools. Some of the psychologists have described the effect of environment as under:

1. Effect on Physical Development

• According to Phenz Bons the cause of physical difference in different races is the environment and not the heredity. He proved by giving many examples that the Japnese and Jews who have been living in America for many generations their height has increased due to environment.

2. Effect on Mental Development

• Gorden’s view is that because of nonavailability of proper social and cultural environment the speed of mental development becomes slow. Because of living in isolation, the cases of Ramu woolf­ boy, Amal and Kamala and Casper Hozer prove that due to the lack of proper good environmet the speed of mental development becomes slow and proper environment increases the speed of mental development.

3. Effect on the Superiority of Race

• According to Clark the cause of superiority of some races is not heredity but environment. This he proved by conducting intelligence test on Whites and Negroes of America. The level of intelligence of Negroes is low because for their educational, social and cultural environment is not available as it is available for Whites.

4. Effect on Orphans

• Generally orphans and dependent children live in orphanages. They are usually from low families, but if in centres they are looked after in proper environment and they are treated well they would prove better than their parents.

5. Effect on Twins

• Usually twins are alike as regards to their physical traits, mental power and academic abilities. Newman, Freeman and Holginger studied 20 pairs of twins in different environments, on growing older he found many differeance in them. This difference was found in their intelligance through pattern and behavioual traits.

6. Effect of Personality

• In the view of Coole, the effect of environment on the shaping of personality is more than that of heredity. An individual by living in better environment can shape his environment in a better way and can become great. The character of an individual to a great extend depeands on environment. Environment exerts its influence on physical, mental, social, emotional, moral and spiritual development of a child. Living in good environment for some time, a child can proceed towards it. Similarly if a child who lives in corrupt environment he is bound to acquire vices. In India Ravindra Nath Thakur’s Vishwa Bharati has shaped Santhals into good citizens simply by educating them.

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Important Points of Human Development :- 

1. Development means proceeding towards more maturity which is not quantitatively measurable but in qualitative change.
2. Development in continuous, systematic and sequential.
3. In each cell of parents there are 23 chromosoms and these constitute 23 pairs.
4. Each choromosom has many genes and each gene determines one or the other trait or characteristic.
5. Heredity provides potentialities to develop. These potentialities develop in environment.
6. Sigmund Freud propounded psychoanalytic theory and Erikson propounded Psycho­ social theory which describe the stages of development from birth to adulthood.

Human Development Questions And Answers

1. What is the meaning of heredity?
(A) Sperm and ovam
(B) Chromosomes and genes
(C) Mitosis and Meiosis
(D) DNA and RNA

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2. Which of the following theory has been propounded by Freud?
(A) Cognitive theory
(B) Psycho-social theory
(C) Stimulus-response theory
(D) Psycho analytic theory

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3. Who out of the following has propounded psycho-social theory?
(A) Sigmund freud
(B) Erik Erikson
(C) E.B. Hurlock
(D) Not any of these

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