The Genetic and Experiential Basis of Development

Our development is not only based on genetic make-up that we get from both parents, but is also based on our environments. There has been some controversy that two people/siblings can grow up in the same environment and be completely different, this can merely be explained by their environment/experiences for example: school environments, how you are treated at home, and physical disabilities these are to just name a few. Furthermore, we have been drawn to the following questions?
1. Why do children growing up in the same home often turn out to be quite different from one another?
2. Compare and contrast passive gene-environment correlations, evocative gene-environment correlation, and active gene-environment correlations.
3. Provide examples of some behavioral traits that you believe are primarily genetically or primarily environmentally determined. What do you have for your position?
The focal point on the Genetic and Experiential Basis of Development will concentrate on the three questions listed above. Children growing up in the same house with the same parents often turn out to be different from one another can be brought on by a number of things. There is a couple of theory’s to help support the cause. One theory is Divergence: children are often found fighting for the time, affection and the attention of their parents. However, divergence is also seen as one child exceling in one thing and the other child will excel in something different to avoid “competing directly” with one another, all children have their own “niches” in life (Spiegel, 2015). The second theory is the non-shared environment: this theory is basically stating that children of different ages will experience family events differently. Also kids have different needs, interests which can bring a lot of stress to parenting, as much as parents want to treat their children the same often times they fail to do so (Spiegel, 2015). The third theory is Exaggeration/ Different Home: this theory is stating we are all told that we are one thing for example: “Given a Label” and over time this label in a way influences the choices children make (Spiegel, 2015).

(Sigelman & Rider, (2012, 2015), P. 84)
Each gene-environmental correlation can all operate within our life span. In the beginning infants are dependent on their parents, so naturally the children’s environments have a considerably large influence from their parents through the passive influences. Evocative influences is our characteristics, which evoke curtain reactions from other people. As we develop in society we build and find our own “niches” this is where our active