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Chapter 30
Factors influencing the development of behaviour
Maturation
-walking
normally begins at 915 months
linked to myelination of
nerve fibres
sequence of steps is
genetically
programmed
Maturation
-speech
develops through stages from birth through to
4+ years
must move through all stages
progress only possible if natural maturation
level is reached
maturation provides periods of optimum
“potential to learn”
Maturation
-cognitive
abilities
Cognitive abilities involve
higher mental skills that
involve perception , intuition,
thinking and reasoning
Cognitive abilities
object permanence-object still exists even if not
present
egocentric thinking-thinks that environment is an
extension of itself
conservation-physical properties remain the
same even if shape changes
concrete operationsreversibility,classifying,sequencing
formal operations-abstract ideas+hypothesise
Inheritance
Development of behaviour
is partly influenced by a
person’s genotype. Genes
code for proteins that code
for structures e.g.
neurotransmitters
that affect a behaviour.
Huntington’s chorea. Woody Guthrie was the most
important American folk artist of the first half of the
20th century.
This land is your land
Woody Guthrie was affected by the autosomal dominant allele for Huntington's Disorder and, ultimately, died
from this genetic condition. His son, Arlo Guthrie, has a 50% chance of having inherited the dominant allele
from his father.
This disease affects about 1 in 20,000 people in
Britain . Characterised by premature death of
neurones.
Phenylketonuria
Blood is routinely drawn from newborn infants for testing.Blood is
obtained by "heel stick" and collected on a special blotter paper.
Routine testing usually includes phenylketonuria, thyroid function,
hemoglobin S (sickle cell disease), and may test for other disorders.
Newborn screening programs vary from state to state(USA). Testing
can be tailored to the local population, determining what routine testing
should be done.
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare, inherited, metabolic disorder that can result
inmental retardation and other neurological problems. People with this disease
have difficulty breaking down and using (metabolizing) the amino acid
phenylalanine.
Intelligence
Intelligence Testing
This colorful assemblage was discovered in a storage area maintained by Kansas Historical Society staff.
The mystery item required some curatorial sleuthing, as its purpose was not immediately evident.
The kit includes a total of 11 separate pictures which portray a sequence of events from one day in a boy's life. Each illustration has a pocket for a
missing image which completes the story being told by the picture. The missing object often is the focal point for characters in the illustration.
For example, the first picture in the sequence shows the featured boy sitting on the edge of an unmade bed, wearing only one shoe, and reaching
for an unknown item on the floor
Museum curators first turned to the Internet to uncover the kit's function. A quick search found a site for the Stoelting Company,
still operating in Chicago. Staff contacted Dr. David Madsen, the company's vice president for psychological testing, who confirmed
suspicions that the kit was an early intelligence quotient (I.Q.) test.
More specifically, Healy Test No. 2 is a "picture context instrument" designed to test cognitive abilities through non-verbal means.
Intelligence Testing
tests now aim to be objective and reliable
test items are intended to be culture-free or
culture-fair
measurements are expressed as an
intelligence quotient (mental age/chronological
age x 100)
IQ test results must be interpretated cautiously
Twin Studies
Just over one in a hundred pregnancies produces
twins. About a third of these are identical twins,
with identical genes, making them genetic clones.
Non-identical twins share around half their genes,
so they are no more alike than ordinary brothers
and sisters. In twin studies, scientists assume that
both sorts of twins usually share the same
environment: upbringing, diet and so on. But this is
not necessarily the case.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a group of psychotic disorders
characterized by disturbances in perception, affect,
behavior and communication lasting longer than 6
months (this includes psychotic behavior). The
person suffering from schizophrenia has
deteriorated occupational, interpersonal and selfsupportive abilities.
Inter-relationships
between factors
behaviour influenced by inherited ,
maturational and environmental factors
e.g. ability to develop speech is gentically
programmed but a person’s environment
affects whether they have the opportunity to
develop that potential