Question : Do Allen’s rule and Bergmann’s rule hold for human populations? Explain with examples.
(2018)
Answer : Bergmann’s rule states that organisms at higher latitudes should be larger and thicker than those closer to the equator to better conserve heat, and Allen’s rule states that they will have shorter and thicker limbs at higher latitudes.
Allen’s Rule
Question : Explain the mechanisms of human variation in gene frequencies.
(2018)
Answer : Homo sapiens is a relatively young species and has not had as much time to accumulate genetic variation as have the vast majority of species on earth, most of which predate humans by enormous expanses of time. Nonetheless, there is considerable genetic variation in our species. The human genome comprises about 3 × 109 base pairs of DNA, and the extent of human genetic variation is such that no two humans, save identical twins, ever ....
Question : Issues of Elderly and Senescence in Developing and Developed Countries.
(2018)
Answer : Population aging is defined by demographers as “an increasing median age of a population or an alteration in the age structure of a population, so that elderly persons are increasingly represented within a country’s overall age structure”. However, population aging is also about people living longer lives than they did in the past, as life expectancies, particularly at older ages, have improved. In recent years, population aging has been recognized as an emerging social challenge ....
Question : Discuss Sheldon‘s method of somatotyping.
(2017)
Answer : Somatotype is defined as the classification of individuals based on the body build or structure of the person. It is based on the somatometric studies involving the visual observations of physical features (morphology) of the different parts of the human body for the precise descriptions.
Constitutional psychology is a theory developed by Sheldon in the 1940s, which attempted to associate his somatotype classifications with human temperament types.
Sheldon’s Method of Somatotyping
Sheldon held that the size and shape ....
Question : Describe the various methods of studying growth their merits and demerits.
(2017)
Answer : Physical growth and development are the most important and basic characteristic of living organisms. The terms ‘growth’ and ‘development’ are generally used synonymously but in the biological sense, they are not the same. Growth refers to increase in size and weight of the body. Development refers to the changes that take place in the structure of the body during growth.
Thus growth brings changes in the size of an organism while development brings changes in the ....
Question : Discuss different factors affecting growth and development in human beings.
(2016)
Answer : There is a minor difference between growth and development. This can be understood by a simple example: growth is something that can be observed by eyes. It is defined as the increase in size and mass of a particular organism over a period of time whereas if we talk about the development, it is defined as a particular transformation from a simpler to a complicated one. In case of a child, increasing the height and ....
Question : Longitudinal method of studying growth.
(2015)
Answer : It is the method of studies growth by observing and measuring the same individual for a variable period, during his/her growth. In longitudinal study each child is measured at each age and therefore, all the children at age 8 are the same as those at age 7. A longitudinal study may extend over any number of years. There are short term longitudinal studies which may cover a couple of years, and a full birth to ....
Question : What is anthropometric somatotype? Describe Heath and Carter‘s method of somatotyping.
(2015)
Answer : Human physique is almost constant and is determined largely by the genetic constitution of the individual apart from other factors like environment. Persons exhibit different morphological, physiological and behavioural traits and accordingly different scholars have classified humans into different types - this is called Somatotype.
Somatotyping technique is a useful method to describe the configuration of the entire body and the sum total of morphological, physiological and psychological characters of an individual which ....
Question : Discuss Ageing and Senescence. Describe either the biological or social theories of ageing.
(2014)
Answer : Ageing processes are those which render individuals more susceptible as they grow older to various factors, intrinsic or extrinsic which may cause death.
Senescence is the change which occur generally in the post reproductive period and which results in reduced survival capacity on the part of the individual organism.
Characteristic Features
Question : Cross sectional methods of studying human growth.
(2014)
Answer : A well designed growth study is a prerequisite to monitor the health status of a population. Rigorous thought should precede collection of data, regarding method of study, time and cost involved with precise planning of sampling procedures, careful training in anthropometric measurements and statistical methods to be used for data analysis. In order to gain an understanding of the dynamics of human growth and average growth patterns, it is essential that the appropriate methods are ....
Question : What are the different stages of Growth? Describe any one of them in detail.
(2014)
Answer : Many scientists have defined ‘growth’ in their own way. Richards and Kavanagh (1945) write: Growth is a fundamental attribute of living organism, manifested by a change in size of the individual or in the number of organism in a unit of environment.
This change, according to Zuckerman (1950), is normally associated with increase but with a possibility of decrease in size under adverse conditions or negative growth. Growth is defined as the net increase in the ....
Question : Justify ‘Though human growth is under tight genetic control but it is influenced by various environmental factors’.
(2013)
Answer : Over the past 100 years, the study of environmental influences on human physical growth and development has focused on the influences of social and economic factors; family and household characteristics; urbanization/modernization; nutrition; and features of the physical environment such as altitude, temperature and climate. Continuing in this tradition are current investigations into the roles of pollutants and other aspects of the human-made environment in affecting patterns of human growth and development, specifically the timing of ....
Question : Differentiation between Child Growth and Development.
(2013)
Answer : There is a minor difference between growth and development. Well, this can be understood by a simple example; growth is something that can be observed by the eyes.
It is defined as the increase in size and mass of a particular organism over a period of time whereas if we talk about development, it is defined as a particular transformation from a simple to a complicated one. In case of child, increase in the height, different ....
Question : Ageing and Senescence.
(2013)
Answer : Ageing
Ageing is the process of becoming older. In the narrow sense of the term, it refers to biological ageing of human beings, animals and other organisms. In the broader sense, ageing can refer to single cells within an organism (cellular senescence) or to the population of a species (population ageing).
In humans, ageing represents the accumulation of changes in a human being over time, encompassing physical, psychological, and social changes.
Ageing is defined as the uninterrupted process ....
