FACTORS THAT

INFLUENCE
INDIVIDUAL
DIFFERENCES IN A
MAN

Environment
Genetic -family background
-mental -peer group
-physical -school and teacher
-emotion -individual parenting
-culture
m Mental ʹ level of intelligence
m Physical ʹ color of hair, eyes, skin, height and
so on
m Emotion ʹ temperament or patience during
difficulties
m The small particles in the nucleus of the cell(called
chromosomes) which contain the genes are
responsible for traits or characteristics we inherit
m Chromosomes exist in pairs in all the cells of the body.
m The human cell has 46 chromosomes arranged in 23
pairs.
m The two most important chemicals which are involved
in genetic transmission are ͞DNA͟ or deoxyribonucleic
acid and ͞RNA͟ or ribonucleic acid.
m These two complex chemical acids work together. The
DNA determines physical characteristics, such as eye
colour, brain character eristics, baldness, and many
other things.
 Genes: Our biological blueprint
m Every cell in your body carries the master code in your
46 chromosomes of a coiled chain of the molecule DNA.
Small segments of the giant DNA molecules are genes
(30,000 strong)
Chromosomes- threadlike structures made of DNA molecules
that contain the genes
DNA (deoxyribuncleic acid)- a complex molecule containing the
genetic information that makes up the chromosomes. (A DNA
molecule has 2 strands- forming a ͞double helix͟= held
together by bonds between pairs of nucleotides.)
Genes- the biochemical units of heredity that make up the
chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a
protein
 Èehavior Geneticists
m Èehavior Genetics- the study of the relative power
and limits of genetic and environmental influences
on behavior
m Environment- every non-genetic influence, from
prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
m Opposed to à


 

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 Twin Studies
m Identical twins- twins who
develop from a single
fertilized egg that splits in 2,
creating 2 àà 

à  organisms.
m Fraternal twins- twins who
develop from separate eggs.
They are genetically no closer
than brothers and sisters, but
they share a fetal
environment
 Adoption Studies
m Creates 2 types of relatives
Genetic relatives (biological parents and siblings)
Environmental relatives (adoptive parents and
siblings)
m Are adopted children more like their biological
parents or more like their adoptive parents?
 Adoptive Nurturing

m If parental nurture mattered as much as most

people suppose, then shouldn͛t people͛s
personalities be more alike if they were reared
in the same home?
So far as personality development is concerned,
environmental factors shared by a family͛s children
have virtually NO impact on their personalities
m Two adopted children raised in the same home are no
more likely to share personality traits with one another
than with the child down the block
 Temperment Studies
m Temperment- a person͛s characteristic
emotional reactivity and intensity
Inborn emotional excitability (reactive / intense /
fidgety / easygoing / quiet / placid)
m Difficult babies are more irritable, intense, and
unpredictable
m Easy babies are cheerful, relaxed, and predictable in
feeding and sleeping (Chess & Thomas, 1987)
 Genetic disorder
m Example: Down Syndrome- due to abnormal
chromosome-typically have an extra 21st
chromosome
m Normally, at the time of conception a baby
inherits genetic information from its parents
in the form of 46 chromosomes: 23 from the
mother and 23 from the father. In most cases
of Down syndrome, a child gets an extra
chromosome 21 Ͷ for a total of 47
chromosomes instead of 46. It's this extra
genetic material that causes the physical
features and developmental.
m Characteristic- have
almond shaped eyes,
fold over eyelid,and
their head, nose, are
usually smaller than
normal
 Environment
m Family background- parents are responsible to
educate their children in a correct manner
m Peer group- good behavior and supportive
peer group will also contribute in developing
positive personality of an individual
m School and teacher- the conducive
environment may help to produce learned
students who practice good values in life
 Individual Parenting
m Effects are most apparent at extremes
Abused who become abusive
Neglected who become neglectful
Loved but firmly handled children who become
self-confident and socially competent
 Culture
m Culture- the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes,
and traditions shared by a large group of people
and transmitted from one generation to the next
m If we all lived in homogeneous ethnic groups,
cultural diversity would be less relevant
m Culture helps show us identify who we are in part
by understanding what we are not (yet)