Shenk gives many examples to show how the environment affects a person's personality, intelligence, athletic ability, etc. All traits can be affected by the environment. Shenk states, "Why do some kids do better in school right from the start?...Its because from day one, they are trained to be" (48). Shenk relates this information to intelligence and learning, but can this evidence also be applied to abuse. Children who face abuse at a young age are more likely to be abusive adults, but is this a case of gene X environment? Are kids who face abuse more likely to be abusive adults because of their environment as kids or is it genetically based? Relate this idea to our ecology unit, focusing on associative learning, cognition, habituation, etc. Also, relate to the biological theme of evolution.
Josh LeVay blevay@comcast.net
Researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and McGill University, and the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences recently related child abuse changes the epigenetic markers of the gene NC3R1 (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/139938.php).
ReplyDeleteThis causes lifelong changes to stress response in humans. In fact the study found that victims of child abuse often have a higher chance of committing suicide. Clearly child abuse has a strong effect on the genes, and causes changes to the epigenome, which are lifelong. Although these changes are specifically to the epigenome, it is important to note that the environment is the catalyst for this change. Therefore, these changes are a case of gene x environment.
As we learned in Chapter 51, cognition “the process of knowing represented by awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgment.” Humans are able to learn through cognition and so it is feasible that children will become abusive because of their environment because their process of learning is partially based on recollection. We also learned about how learned behaviors such as song-learning occurs as a result of the other song birds singing. This shows that in the animal kingdom animals at a very young age are very impressionable. In a long term study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human studies it was discovered that “one-third of all abused and neglected children will eventually victimize their own children (http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.PDF).” Clearly, if children are victims of child abuse they will be more likely to become child abusers. Again, it seems as though the environment is very important in determining the behavior of children later on in life.
In regards to the biological theme of Evolution, it would seem to be an evolutionary advantage that young offspring learn from their parents. Parents are more experienced than the offspring and have the ability to teach offspring how to perform essential tasks in order to survive and reproduce. Overall, it seems as though the environment the child is raised in (abuse or no abuse) determines whether the child has a higher chance of being a child abuser. The environment not only has a strong effect on the child cognitively but also has a lasting effect on the epigenome of the child, and therefore changes the genes that are expressed later on in life.
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ReplyDeleteChildhood intelligence and chances of abuse both stem from early childhood development. Both are affected by genes and environment. It’s impossible to credit just genes or just environment for the outcome. Shenk proves that all traits are affected by the environment, because genes are like “a giant control board inside every cell of your body” (Shenk 19). The genes continue to turn on and off depending on the interaction with the environment.
ReplyDeleteShenk attributed childhood intelligence to the fact that “they are trained to be” (48). When Hart and Risley tested children to see why children from professional homes usually were more intelligent than children from welfare homes, they found that since the children in professional homes were exposed to more words and more encouragements, the children developed faster and displayed more intelligence overall (45-46). Of course, each individual may have genes that predispose him or her to a certain activity. However, without the correct environment to develop these genes, the individual may not attain his or her true potential. It’s hard to say if the children in the welfare homes would have become more intelligent or more talented if they were born in professional homes. However, since mental triggers for children include speaking to children early, reading early and often, encouragement, setting expectations, and embracing failure, most of which are not embraced by welfare parents but accepted by professional parents, the welfare children had much wasted potential by just not having the optimal conditions to develop in.
Abuse can also be attributed to genes and environment. Parenting involves a lot of imprinting. Infants have a critical sensitive period, a time where certain behaviors are learned (Campbell 1126). There’s a very small time window that the sensitive period exists. Therefore, although the signs may not be too apparent until the child grows up, many children end up emulating their parents. This is why children who suffer parental abuse end up abusing their progeny as well. Lisa Dunning explains the correlation through the fact that the abused children “learn how to deal with their anger and frustration through violence. Many children who are victims of child abuse learn to be aggressive and violent to others. They often have low self esteem and become involved in relationships where there is domestic violence.” Although the abused children vow to never abuse their own children, many times, they turn to violence and abuse once they have children. Many times, it is due to the fact that the formerly abused children have a difficult time dealing with stress and stressful situations, especially concerning children and parenting, and release the anxiety in non-constructive manner. After all, through imprinting and cognition, children instinctively learn from their parents and the home environment. Brian Handwerk of National Geographic News bought the point that abuse caused a particular gene expression to dampen, causing the brain to produce fewer calming hormones. Sid states this above as the gene NC3R1. However, the underlying DNA was not changed, making the case of abuse a case of epigenetics, or how gene expression changes without altering DNA.
As Sid also stated above, in regards to the biological theme of Evolution, the reason that animals (including humans) choose to follow the parental figure and take on certain behaviors is because the parent animal is more experienced and acquires certain adaptations due to certain circumstances within its life. In many cases, learning from the parent allows the child to succeed or at least increase chances of survival and reproduction. Due to the fact that abuse is a case of epigenetics, the “abuse gene” isn’t exactly passed down but epigenetics makes it so that a third of all people who were abused also abuse their children. This is an example of environment taking a much more prominent position, as the actual gene does not change within the human.
Annie Lee (xxannie.leexx@yahoo.com)