Biology approch Flashcards
is Stephen Glass a narcissist?
-he is manipulative
(gives gifts to friends to get help later)
-low-self esteem
-demanding parents with unrealistic expectations
-fantasizes about students admiring him
-gaslight chuck/editor when he is caught in a lie
-never admits wrong doing except when it benefits him for doing so, like not getting caught in a bigger lie
or is he something more complicated ?
-self-depecrating to get attention and praise
-very competitive
-constatly seeking to please friends and parents
-constatly lies
what are the 3 basic assumptions on the biological perspective and personality
personality traits:
-reflect physiological differences
-are largerly genetically determined
-are rooted in our evolutionary history
what is phrenology?
a pre-scientific approch that belived that regions of the head were associated with certain functions
ex:slopping forehad = criminal
what is the modern view in phrenology
-its in the brain,not the head
-it is not that specific
who was Galen?
-galen was an ancient greek physician
-he though personality was a reflection of the four fluids that he believed makes up our bodies
what was Galen’s four humors?
yellow bile- bad temper, irritability (choleric)
black bile-gloomy pessimist(melancholic)
phlegm-sluggish,non-exitable(phlegmatic)
blood-cheerful,passionate(sanguine)
genetic approach to personality
Genes are the building blocks to personality
-inherited through evolutionary processes
-by shaping physiological responses we shape personality and behaviour
what is behavioral genetics?
it is the study of how genes impact behaviour
what is a very important assumption of behavioural genetics
nature vs nature is wrong
nature AND nurture is right
no traits are caused entirely by one,they are shaped by both genes we inherit and the enviroment
what are genotypes?
they are genetic potential
ex:hight,hair colour,eye colour,intelligence
what are phenotypes?
they are manifest characteristics
ex:actual hair colour and height;influenced by mix of genes and environment
you may have the tall gene but if your parents dont give you enough food you will not be tall
what is genetic heritability?-
concept that heritability to the extent to which individual differences in a trait,within a group of people, are due to differences in gene
-it is always referring to groups
-does not mean how much of a trait within a single person is due to genetics
what is behavioural genetics?-
-is used to identify genetic differences between individuals within a group
-allows researchers to determine the extent to which individual differences in a trait are due to genetics and environment
what is a big misconception about heritability?
that group differences are explained by genetic differences
studies show that african-americans are 10-15 points lower the cocasian - this have been assume as due to genetic (which is not true)
so what make group differences
group differences are actually caused by enviromental differences between groups
-iQs scores difference decreases when environmental are matched on socioeconomic statues by both groups
-ex:this is pretty clear by black people who were adoptated by white communities
-there is no difference of IQ being different in infancy for example
what are some examples of enviromental differences
-being raised by a single parent (afrcan-americans are more likely to be raised so)
-less cognitively complex
-attend school with lower average IQ,so high achivers don’t need to achieve as high
why are twin studies used so much in behavioural genetics?
twin studies help us understand the importance of genetic and environmental influences on social development
-identical(MZ) - mesmo ovulo fertiliza
-fraternal(DZ)-differentes ovulos fertilizados no mesmo tempo
twin study reserch diagram
MZ: same enviroment and same genetics
DZ: same enviroment and diferent genetics
what is the methodology in behavioral genetics ?
-twin studies:compare similarities of traits in MZ(caused by genetics) vs DZ twin(caused by environment)
ex:substance abuse
-adoption studies:compare similarities of traits between parents and biological vs adopted kids
-MZ twins raised apart (most likely case studies)
-best design is to simply look at the similarities of the trait then it means its genetics
what are the issues with behavioral genetics methodologicas
-twin studies: equal environment assumption
- is the amount of shared environment with DZ
and MZ twins are really the same?
-adoption studies
-representativness
- selective placement:some times parents request kids who are similar to them (like race,religion,region etc)
what are some other limitations?
-the assumption that genes and enviroment are independent but the reality is that certain genotypes and environments may be associated with environment
passive,active,reactive
genetic dispositions : passive/their genetic dipose them environments,manipulation of the environment and reaction others do that
ex;reading books
what have twin studies revealed as important influences of personality(3)?
-genetic influence:genes individuals inherit from their parents
-shared environment:environment effect shared by family members
(parenting style,environment,schools,material
sources etc.)
-non-shared environment:environment effects unique to the individual-not shared by family members
(illnesses,friends,teachers,being treated
different by parents )
what have twin studies revealed as important influences of personality?
genetic effect
-what parents pass on to their children
-100% shared between MZtwins,50% shared by DZ
environment effects
-shared: family and environmental influences that affect MZ/DZ are similar
-non-shared:family and environmental influences that affect MZ/DZ differently
what is the difference between shared enviroment and non-shared environment ? (give some examples)
-shared environment:environment effect shared by family members
(parenting style,environment,schools,material
sources etc.)
-non-shared environment:environment effects unique to the individual-not shared by family members
(illnesses,friends,teachers,being treated
different by parents )
What of the 3 is more important to personality?
-most personality traits have some genetic components
-non-shared environmental experiences have a very strong
-shared environmental experiences have little impact on personality
what was the new zealand twin study ?
-measured self-esteem:two teachers reported
-measured parent-child relationship
-mother’s expressed emotion
- mother spoke about each twin for 5 min
- negative emotion expressed towards child coded from tapes
do parents matter?
-yes
- the unique relationship between the mother and each child predicts the unique self-esteem of each child(non-shared environment )
genetics more though6
-kids’personality is strongly influenced by their individual relationships and life experiences
so what are the conclusions from behavioural genetic reserch
-all personality traits are at least partially heritable
-the effect of being raised in the same family is smaller than the effect of genes
-much of the variance inpersonality is not due to genes or shared family experience but unique experiences(not-shared) and unique paren-child relationship
what family enviroments influence aspects of a person ?
-attitude
-religious belif
-political orientations
-health behaviour(substance abuse is known to correlate with environment-family substance abuse)
which traits are more heritable?
-neuroticism
-imagination
-aggression
—————-
least heritable
-social closeness
-achivment orientation
how can self-esteem affect personality,IQ,sexual orientation,political & religion even divorce be heritable?
genes> neurotransmitters,hormones,physiological arousal>thoughs and feelings>personality>divorce
what are some current genetics research on personality?
molecular genetics - genetic markers of trait
neurotransmitters-dopamin
hormons-testosterone
neuro-anatomy
which are the personality traits that have the strongest biological basis?
extraversion and neuroticism
what are the personality traits presented in birth that affect adults traits?
-excitability(neurocism)
-sociability(extraversion)
-activity level(extraversion)
temperament is known as a child to be related to adult peronality
what was eysenck’s theory on extraversion and introvertion?
extraversion and introversion represent different levels of psychological arousal
exreaverts
below prefer level(under aroused)
-seek out social interaction for stimulation(to go up)
introverts
above prefer/optimal level(over-aroused)
-avoid excessive stimulation
what is the difference between being shy and a introvert
shy people wqant to be and particpate in social interaction they are just not able to do to internal reasons/being scared, introverts in the hand just don’t want to be in social interactions
what is an evidence of Eysenck’s theory?
introversts prefer and perform better in quite places
-like a library
extraverts perform better and prefer to perform in places with higher volume (heart rate is higher in response to music volume)
-like a cafe/loud music
ex:when they study for an exam
this shows how stimulus > arousal> affect their behaviour
another type of evidence
bedtime
-introverts may be more morning people-quiter
-extraverts night people(louder)
what is another type of evidence
recreational drug use
-extraverts tend to use stimulants(cocain,coffee)
-introverts tend to use sedatives(heroin,cannabis)
Jefrrey Gray theory in extraverst and intraverts
-reinforcement senstivity (how sensitive are your rewards amd punishments
-two systems
–Behavioral Activation System(BAS)
- -Behavioural Inhibition System(BIS)
what are the Behavioral Activation System(BAS) ? on switch
Behavioral Activation System(BAS) - activation and approch
-sensitive to reward
-releses dopamine
-strong BAS;highly impulsivness,low-gratification delay,extreme novelty-seekers
-linked positive emotionality
what is Behavioural Inhibition System(BIS) -off switch
-difference in novalty and punishment/imhibitation and avoidance
-lower levels of seratonin
=people with strong BIS:very fearful,insecure,hyper-cautioous
-linked to negative emotionality
what are psychopaths?
higher BAS and lower BIS
how do we measure BIS and BAS
by using the lecker scale
rate yourself in this particular trait
1—————-2————————3———————4——————–5
not true of me very true of me
how can we intergrate Gray and Ersenck theories
gray’s dimension (two dimension)are a rotation of Esenck’s dimensions(4 dimension)
-they both have extraversion and neuroticism
High BAS E+N+ (extravert)
High BIS E-N+ (introvert)
what are the most important neurotransmitters, hormonses in personality?
-dopamin
-serotonin
-testosterone
what is the relatio between mice and dopamin
-mice will try to push a lever for hours to get dopamin
-high dopamine miced(genetically modified) ver active
-low dopamin miced don’t eat or drink much
what is dopamin?
- a kind of neurotransmitter/hormone that make us feel good.
-linked to BAS(increased after sex,good meal and cocain
-genetic basis for sensation seeking (looking to have more stimulus )
-long version of dopaminereceptor(D4DR)=
high sensation seeking
- long receptors are less effective at binding
with
dopamin,individual seeks novelty to increse
dopamin once again
-senation seeking is highly heritable(50%)
what is serotonin
-a hormone,neurotransmitter
-negatively related to behavioural inhibition system (BIS)=lower in the BIS
-low soratine relates to depression and anxiety
-MDMA drug- increases soratine
-SSRI medical drug like Prozac incres serotin
how does testosterone affect Grey’s theory/ensick
linked to agression
higher testosterones in boys at birth> incred aggression in boys - not girls
men convicted of violent crimes has higher testosterone levels then non-violent crimes
-for low income not high income-firm take over
what is the neuro-anatomic approch to personality?
there are regions in the brain associated with particular aspects of personality,emotion and behaviour
right prefrontal cortex
-withdrawl(BIS)
left prefrontal cortex
-approch(BAS)
orbitofrontal cortex
-anticipation of reward and punishment(BIS and BAS)
medial prefrontal cortex
-self-referential judgments(the self)
amygdala
-fear,emotion recognition
how can we connect brain,psysiology and genes?
genes>different neuro-anatomy
brain activity in different regions> neurotransmitters and hormones
neurochemicals>personality
how can we apply neuroscience/physiological approch: in sensation-seeking ?
high sensation seekers have different brains than low sensation seekers
-different anatomically
-different neural activation patterns
-different level of neurotransmitters
