Probabilistic epigenesis

In developmental psychology, probabilistic epigenesis is a theory of human behavior that assumes that different neural structures develop and activate either based on an individual's biology or interactions with their environment. Research has proven there is a correlation between disadvantaged youth and high blood pressure, excess body fat, and high levels of cortisol. Socioemotional development, if occurring in an environment that lacks a regular pattern, can result in behavioral difficulties and symptoms of internalization. An example of this can be seen in a study conducted by Urie Bronfenbrenner, in which he examines how the exchange of energy between the developing child and the persons and objects in their close settings effects their development. His research ultimately suggests that the more regular and positive these household interactions are, the better the child will perform academically and the less likely they will be to internalize problems. == In neuropsychology ==

Gottlieb's model of probabilistic epigenesis is based on the idea that certain areas of the brain are operational before they are completely developed. In this model, child development into adolescence and adulthood can be explained either by intrinsic aspects of the child or by extrinsic factors influencing the child. However, it expands upon and complicates the idea that it is either nature or nurture that causes a person to act a certain way. In probabilistic epigenesis, nature and nurture interact so that every variable is both a cause and an effect. As developmental and neurological understandings have progressed, the idea that intrinsic and extrinsic factors interact with one another rather than independently, as suggested in the probabilistic epigenesis model, has become the predominant way of understanding behavior. == See also ==