- Current section: Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Individual differences
- 2 Growth and development: the big picture
- 3 The unique phenotype
- 4 Confounded variables: sensitive skin
- 5 Mechanisms
- 6 Axon guidance
- 7 Survival and death
- 8 Genes become you
- 9 Genes and their influence on behaviour revisited
- 10 Unit summary
- End of unit questions
- References
- Acknowledgements
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The making of individual differences
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How do we become individuals? This unit looks at how genes and...
How do we become individuals? This unit looks at how genes and the environment interact making each of us unique. Looking at the period between conception and birth you will examine the issues of nature or nurture to see which has the greatest impact.
After studying this unit you should be able to:
- recognise definitions and applications of each of the terms printed in bold in the text;
- critically evaluate statements about the influence of the genome on behaviour;
- explain the ways in which genetic and environmental factors influence the development of the nervous system;
- provide examples of the influence of genetic and environmental factors on the development of the nervous system and behaviour;
- discuss possible flaws and short comings in experiments designed to examine the roles of genes and environment in the development of behaviour;
- explain why different genetic diseases have different outcomes;
- recognise the significance of experiments similar to those described;
- explain the role and control of transcription factors;
- recognise the importance and discuss some aspects of the control of axon growth.
- Duration: 12 hours
- Published on: Tuesday 31st May 2011
- Level: Intermediate
- Posted under: Biology
The making of individual differences
Introduction
This unit examines issue of nature and nurture, how genes and the environment interact in the development of the nervous system to make each of us unique. In particular it looks at the period from conception to birth. It is a topic that should be of wide interest to students.
This unit is an adapted extract from the Open University course Biological psychology: Exploring the brain(SD226) [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
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- Creative-Commons: The Open University is proud to release this free course under a Creative Commons licence. However, any third-party materials featured within it are used with permission and are not ours to give away. These materials are not subject to the Creative Commons licence. See terms and conditions. Full details can be found in the Acknowledgements section.
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