1. Nature & Nurture, evolutionary psychology, & the prenatal environment Dr. Carolyn R. Fallahi

2. Nature-Nurture Which is more important?  The Diathesis stress model  The Liability/threshold model  We figure out the relative amount of nature (genetics, biology, chemistry) & nurture (environment).  What about psychiatric disorders?

3. Study Techniques Twin Research  Identical versus fraternal twins (monozygotic versus dizygotic)  Shared environmental experiences Common experiences, e.g. parent’s personality, intelligence, SES status, neighborhood live in, parenting techniques  Nonshared environmental experiences Child’s own experiences within and outside the family that are not shared with siblings

4. Epigenetic View The interaction of heredity and environment. Heredity directs the kind of environmental experiences a person has. There is ongoing bidirectional interchange. For example, the development of hearing and eyesight.

5. The study of Feral Children Wild children who have been separated from society. The Case of Genie. Other cases.

6. Evolutionary Psychology Species Heredity  All most everyone has 2 eyes  We all develop in similar ways at similar ages.

7. Evolutionary Theory Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Theory of evolution: sought to explain how the characteristics of a species change over time and how new species can evolve from earlier ones.

8. Behavioral Genetic Studies Intelligence: overall heritability of IQ scores is about.50 or 50% of the variance is explained. Identical twins raised together:.86 Raised apart:.72 Fraternal twins:.60 &.52 Biological siblings:.47 &.24 Biological parent & child:.42 &.22 Adopted parent & adopted child:.19

9. Temperament & Personality Temperament: a set of tendencies to respond in predictable ways. Buss & Plomin (1984) found.50 to.60 average correlations between temperatment scores of identical twins. The correlations for fraternal twins are about 0.

10. Psychological Disorders Schizophrenia: disturbances in logical thinking, emotional expression, social behavior. Originally: thought due to a cold and inconsistent mother. Now: concordance rates for identical twins: 48%; fraternal twins 17%. 1% of the general population has Schizophrenia.

11. Teratogens Can someone’s emotional experiences cause problems for the baby?….  Anxiety in mom may affect sleeping patterns of the fetus prior to birth.

12. Mom & Dad’s Behavior Mom & dad’s behavior both before & after conception can produce lifelong consequences for the child. We are used to thinking it’s only mom. Some consequences show up immediately, but half the possible problems aren’t apparent before birth. Others may not appear until years after birth.

13. Teratogenic agents Teratogens are environmental agents such as:  Drug  Chemical  Virus  Other factors that produce a birth defect.

14. The role of the placenta The job of the placenta is to keep teratogens from reaching the fetus.

15. The timing & quality of a teratogen At some periods: the same teratogen can have only a minimal impact. At other periods … profound consequences. Different organ systems are vulnerable to teratogens at different times during development.

16. Teratogens What makes a teratogen problematic? Critical period Dosage and duration Genetic makeup environment

17. Mother’s Diet Mother’s diet clearly plays a role in bolstering the development of the fetus. Mother eats a varied diet high in nutrients is apt to have fewer complications during pregnancy, an easier labor, and a generally healthier baby.

18. The problem of diet The World Food Council has estimated that there were 550 million hungry people in the world.

19. Mother’s Age Women who give birth when over the age of 30 are at greater risk for a variety of pregnancy and birth complications than younger ones. They are more apt to give birth prematurely. Their children are more likely to have low birth weights.

20. Mother’s Age Older mothers are more likely to give birth to children with Down Syndrome, a form of mental retardation. About 10% babies born to mothers over 40 has Down Syndrome. For mothers over 50, the incidence increases to 25% or one in four.

21. Younger Mothers Women who become pregnant during adolescence (20% of all pregnancies) - are more likely to have premature deliveries. The mortality rate of infants born to adolescent mothers is double that for mothers in their 20s.

22. Mother Illness An illness in a pregnant woman can have devastating consequences. For example, the onset of rubella (German measles) in the mother prior to the 11th week of pregnancy is likely to cause serious consequences in the baby: blindness, deafness, heart defects, or brain damage. In later stages of a baby, however, adverse consequences in the pregnancy become increasingly less likely.

23. Mother Illness Another example: Chicken pox. This may produce birth defects while mumps may increase the risk of miscarriage. Sexually transmitted diseases, e.g. syphilis, can be transmitted directly to the fetus, which will be born suffering from the disease.

24. Mother Illness Gonorrhea: can be passed through the birth canal at birth. AIDS: Mothes who have AIDS or carriers of the virus may pass it on to their fetuses through the blood that reaches the placenta.

25. Mother’s Drug Use Mother’s use of many kinds of drugs, both legal and illegal, pose serious risks to the unborn child. Aspirin Thalidomide

26. Illicit Drugs Issues: the purity of the drugs purchased illegally varies significantly, so drug users can never be quite sure what specifically they are ingesting. Issues: the purity of the drugs purchased illegally varies significantly, so drug users can never be quite sure what specifically they are ingesting. The effects of some commonly used illicit drugs can be particularly devastating. The effects of some commonly used illicit drugs can be particularly devastating. Issues

27. Marijuana Can restrict oxygen that reaches the fetus. Can lead to an infant who is irritable, nervous, and easily disturbed. Cancer

28. Cocaine “Crack babies” - cocaine produces an intense restriction of the arteries leading to the fetus, causing a significant reduction in the flow of blood and oxygen. This process increases the risk of fetal death.

29. Mother’s use of alcohol/tobacco Increasing evidence suggests that even small amounts of alcohol and nicotine can disrupt the development of the fetus. Alcohol: 1/750 born with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS): below-average intelligence & sometimes mental retardation, delayed growth, facial deformities.

30. Mother’s use of alcohol/tobacco Even mothers who use smaller amounts of alcohol = fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Just 2 drinks/day.

31. Smoking Reduces the oxygen and increases the carbon monoxide of the mother’s blood.

32. Fathers Fathers affect the prenatal environment. Fathers-to-be should avoid smoking. Also, a father’s use of alcohol and illegal drugs such as cocaine not only may lead to chromosomal damage.

33. Fathers Father’s age: Risk of miscarriage increases as the father’s age increases. There is also an increased risk of neural tube defects, kidney problems, and Down Syndrome. Increased risk of congenital heart defects. Environmental toxins.