1. Weaver et al propose that among rats, maternal behavior towards newborn pups influences their cortisol response to stress via epigenetic mechanisms that change the expression of glucocorticoid receptor gene for the rest of the pup’s life. They argue that because epigenetic patterns are established at specific developmental periods, there is extreme time sensitivity to when the pup is exposed to particular maternal behaviors (licking and grooming, in this case), and maternal behavior before or after that sensitive period window is not as important. Do you think this mechanism is relevant in humans? If so, what behaviors are most analogous to “maternal licking and grooming”?
It is tempting to anthropomorphize animal behavior and assign it emotional significance. In the absence of even a basic understanding of rat behavior and developmental milestones, I can't make an intelligent analogy to human behavior. It is compelling to consider how the human behaviors projected onto this rat behavior are informed by the observers conceptions of human developmental dramas. I was taught Erikson's developmental theory and his trust/mistrust stage in the first year of human life centers primarily on maternal feeding, touch and consistency. Of course, Erikson is easily critiqued for providing the theoretical framework of a racist and classist mother-blame mother-guilt explanation of personality development.
2. Gruenewald, in contrast, emphasize the cumulative effects of SES adversity on a multi-system allostatic load measure. Do you think that the Gruenewald findings are consistent, inconsistent, or unrelated to the Weaver findings? Explain.
The Grunewald findings cannot be compared to the Weaver findings as outlined
above. Weaver explores two behaviors in a rat-offspring dyad while Grunewald is
using retrospective evaluation of human's experience of class.
3. Hertzmann and Boyce argue that “it is not genes or environment, nor is it genes and environment, but rather it is gene-by-environment interactions that influence developmental trajectories.” To what extent do you think that GxE interactions can contribute to major disparities along racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, or geographic dimensions?
I think the GxE interaction cannot meaningfully contribute to disparities along race/ethnicity, socioeconomic, or geographic dimensions because the environment is so profoundly affected by other more plausibly explanatory factors, such as systemic racism and capitalism.