Early Development: Chances and
Risks
Lecture 1: Biology
Biology and the environment
Focus of this course:
- Socio-emotional development of children
- During the first 1000 days: the period spanning roughly between conception and
one’s second birthday
- Development proceeds at breathtaking pace
- How we view the role of nature versus nurture (environment) during this
developmental period changed over the years
Environment influences expression of our biology:
- Whether bees develop as a worker or queen depends on the type of diet that bees
get
- Sleep trainings (i.e., crying it out) are examples of behaviourism: the environment
(i.e., parental behaviour) is the supreme force in child development
- Range of reaction: biology gives a range of developmental possibilities
, o Differences in how susceptible they are for their environment
But also: biology shapes the environment:
- A child with Down syndrome or child with difficult temperament triggers different
behaviours in environment from the parents (i.e., parents can show different
parenting behaviour such as protecting your child, depending on the characteristics
of the child)
Nature vs. nurture:
- Watson’s ideas are an example of behaviourism: the environment is the supreme
force in child development
- Nowadays: we more and more try to understand how the environment impacts the
expression of our biology
Nature AND nurture:
- The question is not whether biological OR environmental factors are more important
- But, how the expression of our biology is shaped by the environment we meet
(‘programming’)
This notion is central to this course because development will never be so susceptible
to the environment as during the first 1000 days!
Critical and sensitive periods:
- Environment will have more or less influence depending on the developmental
period:
- Critical period: environment only has an impact during a particular window, effects
are irreversible
, - Sensitive period: environment shapes a given trait or behaviour to a larger extent
than in other periods or stages
Early development as sensitive period:
- Developmental plasticity: capacity to adapt to different environments
o Plasticity decreases over the lifespan
- Adapting to the environment makes infants both versatile and vulnerable
- The first 1000 days of life therefore contains:
o Risks with lifelong consequences for health and wellbeing
o Chances to ‘get things right’ and to boost children’s development
- What is happening early in life predicts later outcomes
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis:
, - DOHaD hypothesis: exposure to certain environmental influences during critical or
sensitive periods of development may have significant consequences on an
individual’s short and long-term health
Development is most important time to intervene to prevent disease:
- The first 1000 days are the most important to intervene
Early childhood development is a smart investment:
- If you invest early in life, they don’t need health care, will have their own jobs, etc.
To study gene-environment contributions to individual differences:
- Adoption studies: compare characteristics of adopted children with those of both
their adoptive and biological parents
- Twin studies: compare the similarities between identical and fraternal twins reared
together or apart
- E.g., resemblance in IQ among family members
Risks
Lecture 1: Biology
Biology and the environment
Focus of this course:
- Socio-emotional development of children
- During the first 1000 days: the period spanning roughly between conception and
one’s second birthday
- Development proceeds at breathtaking pace
- How we view the role of nature versus nurture (environment) during this
developmental period changed over the years
Environment influences expression of our biology:
- Whether bees develop as a worker or queen depends on the type of diet that bees
get
- Sleep trainings (i.e., crying it out) are examples of behaviourism: the environment
(i.e., parental behaviour) is the supreme force in child development
- Range of reaction: biology gives a range of developmental possibilities
, o Differences in how susceptible they are for their environment
But also: biology shapes the environment:
- A child with Down syndrome or child with difficult temperament triggers different
behaviours in environment from the parents (i.e., parents can show different
parenting behaviour such as protecting your child, depending on the characteristics
of the child)
Nature vs. nurture:
- Watson’s ideas are an example of behaviourism: the environment is the supreme
force in child development
- Nowadays: we more and more try to understand how the environment impacts the
expression of our biology
Nature AND nurture:
- The question is not whether biological OR environmental factors are more important
- But, how the expression of our biology is shaped by the environment we meet
(‘programming’)
This notion is central to this course because development will never be so susceptible
to the environment as during the first 1000 days!
Critical and sensitive periods:
- Environment will have more or less influence depending on the developmental
period:
- Critical period: environment only has an impact during a particular window, effects
are irreversible
, - Sensitive period: environment shapes a given trait or behaviour to a larger extent
than in other periods or stages
Early development as sensitive period:
- Developmental plasticity: capacity to adapt to different environments
o Plasticity decreases over the lifespan
- Adapting to the environment makes infants both versatile and vulnerable
- The first 1000 days of life therefore contains:
o Risks with lifelong consequences for health and wellbeing
o Chances to ‘get things right’ and to boost children’s development
- What is happening early in life predicts later outcomes
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis:
, - DOHaD hypothesis: exposure to certain environmental influences during critical or
sensitive periods of development may have significant consequences on an
individual’s short and long-term health
Development is most important time to intervene to prevent disease:
- The first 1000 days are the most important to intervene
Early childhood development is a smart investment:
- If you invest early in life, they don’t need health care, will have their own jobs, etc.
To study gene-environment contributions to individual differences:
- Adoption studies: compare characteristics of adopted children with those of both
their adoptive and biological parents
- Twin studies: compare the similarities between identical and fraternal twins reared
together or apart
- E.g., resemblance in IQ among family members
