EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

ASSIGNMENT
 ROLE OF HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT IN INDIVIDUAL
DIFFERENCES (C1 of C3)

Heredity and environment are the two broad factors which play a role in shaping our personality and its
characteristics.

The cause of individual variation is the individual’s heredity and environment. Every trait or reaction of
the individual depends on the heredity and environment. Traits and activities cannot rigidly be classified
into those which are inherited and which are acquired.

Heredity
According to Holland, “Heredity consist of all the structures, characteristics and functions and capacities
derived from parent to other ancestry.”

Genes are small areas of DNA that affect a particular process or personal characteristic. Sometimes, a
single gene is responsible for an inherited feature, such as eye color. Most characteristics, however,
are polygenic, or controlled by many genes working in combination.

Genes may be dominant or recessive. When a gene is dominant, the feature it controls will appear every
time the gene is present. When a gene is recessive, it must be paired with a second recessive gene before
its effect will be expressed.

The child carries with himself several physiological and psychological peculiarities that are present in the
parents. Thus, different types of the genes help in the formation of a body. 

According to geneticists, sex is also inherited. They say that there are two big chromosomes. They have
named these chromosomes as ‘X’ and ‘Y’. In the germ cells of the male there is one big ‘X’
chromosome-and a small ‘Y’ chromosome. In the case of a female, both the chromosomes are X.

Some areas were heredity influence in creating individual differences are:

1. Human growth sequence:

It includes the overall pattern of physical development. Genetic instructions affect body size,
height, intelligence, personality traits and a host of other details. It also determines eye and skin
color and susceptibility to some diseases.

2. Temperament:
This is the physical core of personality and evident in newborns. It includes sensitivity, typical
mood, irritability etc. A fair percentage of newborns are easy children, who are relaxed and
agreeable. A small group are difficult children, who are moody, intense and easily argued. Slow
 to warm up children are restrained, unexpressive or shy and the remaining do not fit neatly into a
single category.
3. Intelligence: Family studies show that intelligence tends to run in families. Twin studies show a
higher correlation between identical twins in IQ than between fraternal twins. This holds true
even when identical twins reared apart are compared to fraternal twins reared together.

Mechanism of heredity.

 The heredity basis of an individual differences is found in almost unlimited variety of possible
general combinations, especially in the case of such a complex organism as man.
 Individual begins life at the conception with the union of one of the germ cells from each parent,
the ovum of the female and the spermatozoon of the male. When the human sperm and egg unite,
the fertilized egg is called the zygote.
 Each parent provides 23 chromosomes for the process of fertilization. As the number of
chromosomes remains constant, so every human cell has 46 chromosomes, half from mother and
other half from father.
 Each of these of these cells contain millions of very minute particle called genes. A gene is the
carrier of a ‘unit of character’ which operates either individually or in a combination with other
gene. The result of the union of a gene is called heredity.
 A relatively simple characteristic such as eye color depends upon the combined influence of a
very large number of separate genes.

Environment:

All the factors that act upon the individual since he/ she begins life, except genes, are environmental
or external factors.

The external forces operating in the physical and geographical conditions of environment play an
important role in shaping the personality of human being, thus making us all unique and specific.

Psychologically, environment is to be regarded as the sum total of stimulation which the individual
receives from conception until death. The mere physical presence of objects does not constitute
environment unless environment objects serve as stimulus in the experience of the individual.
The pattern of mothering, family morale, and economic factors influence the development of
personality and create vast differences among individual.

Numerous experiments have been carried out to understand how far human beings differ due to the
forces operating in their cultural and social environments. They also determine how far behavior
development can be modified by controlling the activities of an organism, that is, by providing the
selective environment.

There are even experiments conducted on human infants who have been artificially prevented from
exercising certain motor functions as sitting or reaching for an object, standing which show
considerable retardation in the development of these functions.

 A famous case is of ‘Wild boy of Aveyrons’. In September 1799, three hunters spotted a boy
of aged 11-12 years old in a French forest. The boy was unkept, scared and unable to talk
and seemed to have led a wild animal like living. The boy was seemed to be marked deficient
in all forms of behavioral development, including sensory and motor, emotional and
intelligence.

Environmental influences are best manifested in the cultural heritage which is transmitted from
generation to generation.is is a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, morals, laws and
many other capabilities and habits that create remarkable differences in the personalities of
individuals.

In the course of development, internalization of values, beliefs and customs through the process of
learning, all create significant individual differences.