Genetic and Environmental Research
Genetic research involves a critical analysis of medical and scientific causes, amelioration, enhancement, transmission, and elimination of inherited traits and disorders (McGuire et al., 2014). The role of genetic research is paramount particularly in a dynamic fields of diagnosis and treatment of genetic related disorders. The core areas of genetic research include genetic testing, reproductive genomics, gene therapy, genetic databanks, and pharmacogenomics. In social sciences, genetic research entails the study of the manner in which the genetic traits contributes to human behavior. Research on genetics has significant impacts not only on the health care sector but also to the policy makers. Furthermore, the knowledge of genetic research is paramount to social and behavioral scientists as it helps them to understand the biological basis of behavior and character.
Environmental research entails the study of environmental impact onto a given subject matter. For instance, in social sciences, environment research can entails the study of exogenous factors that are responsible for a given behavior or personality (D’onofrio et al., 2013). The ability to bridge genetic and environmental research is an essential skills for social and behavioral scientist. Effective bridging of this two discipline can help in understanding the impacts of genetics and environment on various sub-discipline within the social sciences. For instance, the study on how genetic and environment influences child transition to adulthood.
Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood
Children grow both physically and mentally. Physical development in early childhood focus on various aspects. The first aspect focuses on the physical changes in the children’s body as well as their nutritional and dental needs. Normally, physical growth increase occurs between the age of three and six (Campbell et al., 2014). During this stage children needs to a wholesome balance diets as well as dental checks to curb tooth decay. The second aspect of physical development focus on the sleep patterns and associated disorders in early childhood. Children sleep patterns are usually affected by sleep terrors that occurs during child’s deep sleep. Sleep terror can suddenly awake a child. Bed-wetting also has a negative effect on a child’s sleep. Motor achievement such as stages of art production is also a core stage in a child’s physical development.
Cognitive development checks on the typical cognitive advances on preschool children. It also checks on immature thinking aspects of preschool children. Children in the preoperational stage have a limited logic that focuses on states and not on transformations. The theory of mind usually develops between the ages of three and five. It includes social cognition, ability to deceive, ability to distinguish reality and fantasy, and awareness of their thoughts. Finally, the memory’s ability to expand and language improvements are also critical aspects to consider when accessing cognitive development in early childhood.
References
Campbell, F., Conti, G., Heckman, J. J., Moon, S. H., Pinto, R., Pungello, E., & Pan, Y. (2014).
Early childhood investments substantially boost adult health. Science, 343(6178), 1478-
1485.
D’onofrio, B. M., Lahey, B. B., Turkheimer, E., & Lichtenstein, P. (2013). Critical need for
family-based, quasi-experimental designs in integrating genetic and social science
research. American journal of public health,103(S1), S46-S55.
McGuire, A. L., Knoppers, B. M., Ma’n, H. Z., & Clayton, E. W. (2014). Can I be sued for that?
liability risk and the disclosure of clinically significant genetic research findings. Genome research, 24(5), 719-723.
