Influence of Biological Factor Essay Paper
Discussion: What are the two ways in which our “biology” may influence the types of experiences we have? Provide examples of these two ways using current research. Please LIST references
In one’s upbringing, there are many factors that may influence how they perceive the environment around them. Some of these factors may be fleeting and only last a moment but for others there may be other characteristics of their life that last forever. For this discussion I will write about the biological factors that influences one’s life experiences. Influence of Biological Factor Essay Paper
There are many factors that one may be exposed to that change their experiences in their environment.
Biological factors, what we are born with or that happens naturally in the body, can influence change in our perceptions and experiences. Williams Syndrome (WS) is a biological condition where gene information is deleted on chromosome 7 which results in cognitive, behavioral, and psychiatric abnormalities. Muramatsu, Tokita, Mizuno, & Nakamura (2017) state that “WS is known for its uneven cognitive abilities in addition to cardiovascular symptoms and distinctive facial appearance. In particular, the visuo-spatial difficulties and “so called” hyper-sociability are characteristic of this syndrome” (2017, pg. 146). Influence of Biological Factor The visuo-spatial difficulties are where biology influences one’s experiences in that objects may be perceived differently to those with WS than to those who do not. In their study, Muramatsu et. al. (2017) show a picture of a block structure to those with WS and their goal is to build the structure that is shown before them. The results show that there are difficulties when attempting to build the structure ranging from very similar to very different results that were built.
Another biological factor that may influence one’s experiences is the Autism spectrum disorder. This disorder is characterized by social deficits, and repetitive behaviors (Vries & Geurts, 2015). Because this disorder is so pervasive, children with this diagnosis tend to experience a low quality of life unfortunately (Vries & Geurts, 2015). This disorder affects the consumer in that the social deficits cause difficulties when trying to communicate with others. It can be hard for this population who are lower functioning to fully explain how they are feeling or what they want at the moment which can cause frustration when others do not understand their needs.
By using diseases and disorders to explain how others experience their lives, we can get an idea of what it is like for these populations to live and what complications they undergo in every day experiences.
References
Muramatsu, Y., Tokita, Y., Mizuno, S., & Nakamura, M. (2017). Disparities in visuospatial constructive
abilities in Williams syndrome patients with a typical deletion on chromosome 7q11.23. Brain &
Development, 39(2), 145-153. doi:10.1016/j.braindev.2016.09.003
Vries, M., & Geurts, H. (2015). Influence of Autism Traits and Executive Functioning on Quality of Life in
Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 45(9), 2734-
2743. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2438-1