Biological Ap. Flashcards
What is an allele?
Gene alleles are different versions of a particular gene.
Why do some people vary on the same physical trait?
When a gene has different possible alleles, the trait has genetic variation
DNA is made up of two or more ____
Nucleotides
Chromosomes are made up of _____ long strands of _____
Chromosomes are made up of two long strands of DNA
Do cells in our body all have ____ genes?
the same
When different people have different alleles for the same gene, we say that there is ______.
genetic variation
How many chromosomes do the cells in our body have?
The cells in our body have 46 chromosomes
Chromosomes have ___ pairs of chromosomes.
23
What are the 2 types of sex cell?
The 2 types of sex cells are:
• sperm cells
• egg cells
Rather than having 46 chromosomes, sex cells have?
Sex cells have 23 chromosomes, 1 chromosome from each pair so they can combine with the other sex cell
What is genetic inheritance?
Genetic inheritance is when genes are passed on from parent to child
chromosomes are made up of _____, which itself is made up of a chain of ______
chromosomes are made up of DNA, which itself is made up of a chain of nucleotides
What are the sequences of DNA that control production of one specific protein?
the sequences of DNA that control production of one specific protein are called genes
Different versions of genes, that have small variations in exact sequence of nucleotides, are called…
Different versions of genes, that have small variations in exact sequence of nucleotides, are called Alleles
Phenotype determined by…
Phenotype is determined by both genotype and environmental factors
Monozygotic twins
Monozygotic twins share 100% of their genotype and are called identical twins
Dizygotic twins
Dizygotic twins share around 50% of their genotype and are called non-identical twins.
What is concordance?
Concordance is when twins share the same phenotype
The concordance rate is…
The percentage of twins who share a characteristic, given that at least one twin has the characteristic
What do researchers assume for twin studies?
Researchers assume that monozygotic and dizygotic twins have a similar amount of shared environment, and that monozygotic twins are more genetically similar than dizygotic twins (as they are not always)
If the concordance rate for monozygotic twins isn’t 100%, we can conclude that…
If the concordance rate for monozygotic twins isn’t 100%, we can conclude that it isn’t just genetics that play a part in having the trait, environment also has a role.
One limitation of twin studies is?
Monozygotic twins might share more of their environment than dizygotic twins because they tend to be treated more similarly.
This means that the bigger concordance rate in monozygotic twins might be due to a more similar environment rather than just by genetics.
What is Evolution?
When a species gradually changes, over many generations.
Evolution involves DNA mutation which are…
Small changes to alleles which can happen during reproduction.
If a new allele makes an organism more likely to survive, then the organism…
…the organism is more likely to pass on that allele to future generations.
What is natural selection?
Natural selection is when traits which increase the chance for survival are passed onto future generations
Behaviours acquired through natural selection, will be behaviours that..
Behaviours acquired through natural selection will be behaviours that increase the chance of survival and reproduction.
genetics affect behaviour by…
Influencing the brain which changes our behaviour.
According to the biological approach to psychology, natural selection shapes our behaviour because…
It causes us to have certain genes that control processes in the brain and then Processes in the brain cause our behaviour.
cognitive neuroscience is…
cognitive neuroscience is the study of which parts of the brain are involved in different mental processes.
Biological Approach in a sentence
The biological approach believes us to be as a consequence of our genetics and physiology. It examines thoughts, feelings, and behaviours from a biological and thus physical point of view. It says all thoughts, feeling & behaviour ultimately have a biological cause.
What is the key assumption of the biological approach?
The key assumption of the biological approach is that we can explain behaviour mainly in terms of biological factors.
Why is the biological approach scientific?
The biological approach is very scientific, because:
• it is based on empirical, objective data
• controlled environment, tests cause and effect)
• standardised procedures, easily replicated
How is the biological approach used to help people?
Can be applied to help people who suffer from genetically inherited conditions (drugs can be developed, but we must first understand the role of genetics in mental disorders)
How is the biological approach reductionist?
The biological approach looks for biological causes of behaviour, it explains behaviour in terms of genetics and processes in the brain. This ignores other explanations of behaviour such as social and cultural causes.
What are 2 strengths of the biological approach?
it is highly scientific
it has useful applications to understanding and treatment of disorders
Which factors do the biological approach say behaviour is determined by?
Natural selection
The brain
Inherited genes
consequences of biological determinism..
implies that people can’t change or improve.
could lead to people being discriminated against because of their biology.
says we have no control over who we are
means we have no ability to change our own behaviour because our behaviour is predetermined by our genes
Why is free will a strength in the humanistic approach?
The concept of free will matches our subjective experience of life. Moreover, assuming free will allows us to improve and achieve self-actualisation, which is a key focus of the humanistic approach.
