Question

Genetics and Development

Select a peer reviewed journal article that relates to genetics and its impact on development. You are thinking about how genetics affects the developmental process. For example locating an article about genetics and developmental disorders, genetic testing for parental decision making process with having children, genetic & developmental diseases, pediatric genetic disorders, etc... Think about the chapter and the developmental time frame and the impact that genetics has either during this time frame or another time frame.

Give references

Answer 1

Although genetic influences on individual differences in activity level (AL) are well documented, few studies have considered the etiology of AL from a contextual perspective. In the present study, cross-situational and context-specific genetic effects on individual differences in AL at age 2 were examined. The AL of 312 twin pairs (144 monozygotic and 168 dzygotic) was mechanically assessed with actigraphs in the home and in laboratory test and play situations. AL displayed significant genetic variance in all 3 situations. Moreover, actigraph scores significantly correlated across situations. Multivariate genetic model-fitting analyses found that the observed cross-situational continuity in AL was due entirely to genetic factors. Situational differences in AL arise from genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental influences.

Activity level (AL) is a pivotal individual differences variable in infancy and early childhood. A core dimension of nearly every temperament theory, AL is a highly salient feature of child behavior that has been linked to various facets of child health and development. Twin studies of temperament in infancy and early childhood have yielded considerable evidence that AL is genetically influenced.

however, this is only a first step in the understanding of the etiology of this important temperament dimension.

Longitudinal studies of developmental changes in AL suggest that genetic factors contribute to stability.

Article information

Child Dev. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 Jul 29.

Published in final edited form as:

Child Dev. 2008 Jul-Aug; 79(4): 930–943.

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01168.x

PMCID: PMC4113970

NIHMSID: NIHMS602156

PMID: 18717899

Kimberly J. Saudino and Jeffrey A. Zapfe

Kimberly J. Saudino, Boston University