Environmental Factors in Development

Environmental Factors in Development Psychology

Developmental psychologists often ask, "What makes you, you?" Is it the genetic traits you've inherited from your parents or environmental factors you're surrounded by? The correct answer would be both. While genetic traits are important, environmental factors can also significantly impact our development. So what do we mean by "environment"?

Developmental psychologists often like to consider the impact of the environment as it relates to genetics. This field of study is called behavioral genetics.

Behavior geneticists often consider epigenetics, which studies how the environment can block or trigger our genetic expression through molecular mechanisms. Examples of environmental factors that can affect epigenetic molecules include drug use, diet, and stress.

Environmental Factors that Affect Development

There are different environmental factors that affect development, for example:

• Emotional: Stress, empathy, relationships with others and experiences.
• Physical: Hygiene, genetics and environment.
• Economical: Social class and access to basic needs, e.g. electricity.
• Social: Friends and stimulation.
• Intelligence: Education and access to resources.

Environmental Factors in Prenatal Development

The time we spend in our mother's womb is one of the most vital times of our development. Environmental factors in prenatal development can impact our entire lives. Have you ever heard of a pregnant woman playing music for her unborn child or being very careful about what she eats? She knows how important it is to protect and foster the fetus's environment.

Fig. 1 Environmental factors in development are impactful in the womb

A woman's womb has several features that are designed to protect the baby's environment. For example, one of the placenta's primary jobs is to filter out harmful substances before they reach the fetus. Many toxic agents can affect an embryo or fetus' environment during prenatal development. These environmental factors are called teratogens.

The placenta screens out many harmful substances, but some still slip by. Teratogen agents such as viruses and substances can damage an embryo or fetus.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

One especially harmful substance to a fetus is alcohol. Alcohol is hazardous for a pregnant woman to consume because how it can permanently harm an unborn baby. Alcohol that is consumed during pregnancy puts the baby at risk for developing a condition called fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of the leading causes of intellectual disability. Alcohol reduces central nervous system activity in a fetus when it enters the bloodstream and produces distinct facial features, including an upturned nose and small head circumference. FAS also puts a child at risk for heavy alcohol use later in life.

Rubella

Another environmental factor in prenatal development is the rubella virus. This virus is a major threat to a growing fetus, and mothers who contract rubella in their first trimester are at a higher risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. While some babies can be born healthy, twenty-five percent of babies born from a rubella virus develop congenital rubella syndrome. Congenital disabilities from this condition include:

• eye defects (i.e., blindness or loss of vision)

• heart defects

• hearing loss

• cerebral palsy (less frequently)

• intellectual disability

Environmental Factors Affecting Child Development

One of the most impactful environmental factors affecting child development is parent-child interaction. Psychologists look at how this relationship can affect a child's social, emotional, and physical development.

From the moment we're born, we learn a lot about the world by observing our parents. Through twin and adoption studies, we can see how much environmental factors concerning parental figures and family environment affect which traits. Genes and others may influence some traits through environmental factors.

Fig. 2 Parent-child interaction in development

Parents and caregivers can significantly impact other environmental factors that affect child development, including:

• Nutrition

• Access to education

• Parental education

• Family stress

• Socioeconomic status

However, many developmental psychologists caution about how much credit we give to parents for how a child turns out, especially concerning traits such as personality and temperament. The exception is in extreme cases such as abuse and neglect. But in some ways, we are who we are, and other factors outside the home can affect child development.

For example, peer influence can majorly impact child development, especially during adolescence. Young people often want to fit in and feel accepted. As early as two years old, a child starts to become more independent from family and begin to draw toward their peers. This can affect their behavior and choices and, ultimately, their development.

Environmental Factors Affecting Brain Development

Our brains develop and change throughout our lives through several processes, such as neurogenesis (producing more neurons) and pruning (destroying neurons). Environmental factors affecting brain development can impact neurogenesis during development, especially during childhood when neurogenesis is at its peak. Children who are exposed to harmful environmental factors are more likely to display issues in brain development. These environmental factors include:

• lead

• mercury

• pesticides

• cigarette smoke

• chronic stress

As we get older, neurogenesis drastically slows down, but our brains remain ever-changing because of neuroplasticity.

Some environmental factors that can cause our brains to change include:

• drug and alcohol use

• diet

• chronic stress

• food quality

• air pollution

• trauma

The list can go on and on. Luckily this means that there may be several ways to promote brain development throughout our lives through healthy choices and mental health care.

Environmental Factors Can Influence the Development of Intelligence

Environmental factors can also influence the development of intelligence. Alfred Binet, the first to design an intelligence test, believed that the environment heavily influences intelligence. In other words, while genetic factors are at play, our intelligence can increase or decrease based on our environments. Children who come from wealthier, more educated families score higher on IQ tests than children who come from lower-income, less educated families.

The fact that environmental factors can affect intelligence is of particular interest to teachers and educators. If a child is in a more enriched environment, they will have a more accessible time learning.

Environmental Factors That Influence Language Development

What are the environmental factors that influence language development? What would happen if we did not have language in our environment as children? Chances are, if we aren't exposed to language within a critical period as children (around the age of 7), we will never be able to learn a language.

Fig. 3 Children learn language through environmental factors

IIn this way, environmental factors play a significant role in language development. As a child moves through the stages of language development, such as babbling and the two-word stage, they aim to copy and mimic the language of their household. This is why you'll find that only someone around that child can understand a 2-year-old gibberish talking. One's culture can greatly impact environmental factors that influence language development.