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Essay / Research in Developmental Psychology - 1919
It is undoubtedly evident that the field of psychology is increasingly dependent on genetic explanations of human behavior. Its power and potential are unquestionable, as the study offers exciting new developments at levels and in quantity that many other sciences simply cannot match; Yet this overreliance on genetic explanations has caused many problems in the field of developmental psychology, where environmental issues are completely ignored. Perhaps until just a few years ago, developmental psychology remained untouched by the era of genetics. While other fields developed and adapted to scientific principle, developmental psychology remained heavily dependent on environmental influences. The rejection of genetic explanations was mainly due to the lack of knowledge they could bring to the field. But today, what is worrying is that it depends solely on this area of thought, while genetic advances are increasing at an alarming rate. There is no doubt that genetics can provide answers, but it would be foolish to dispute it in the face of such striking evidence. If any area of research should have a genetic basis, it is facial recognition in children. It is the beginning of attachment, the basis of social interaction, and is vital to the interaction of the infant and caregiver. So it would be obvious that such a skill could be innate, but new research suggests that it is also genetic. After Thomas studied the theory, he suggested that even accounting for all other variables, it is unlikely that there would be any variation that could be attributed to the absence of a home environment, making recognition ability facial essentially entirely genetic. It is not only the “normal” medium of paper that holds great potential for developmental psychology. The future of genetics points to an era where we can realistically depend entirely on genetics. As McKuskis points out, “the growing ability of scientists to read and write in the language of genes has already explained some of the once-mysterious fundamental concepts of genetics.” It stands to reason that even in the age of genetics, psychological studies Environmental influences are not unimportant and, in some cases, vital to the field of developmental psychology. Genetics does indeed have the potential to be considered the sole influence on development, but as of now, there are too many problems surrounding genetics to be considered as such. It is an ideological and vain hope that, even if questions such as gene-environment interactions, colorations and epigenetics remain unanswered, we can ignore environmental influences..