Ch1-Major Issues (Basics) Flashcards
What is the hard problem as stated by David Chalmers?
given this universe is composed of matter & energy, why is there such a thing as consciousness?
the belief that the mind & brain are different kinds of substance & exist independently
dualism (rene’ descartes)
the belief that the universe consists of only one kind of substance (mind & body are one entity)
monism
the study of the physiological, evolutionary, & developmental mechanisms of behavior & experience
biological psychology
relates behavior to the activity of the brain & other organs (type of biological explanation)
physiological explanation
describes how a structure or behavior develops, including the influence of genes, nutrition, experiences, & their interactions (type of biological explanation)
ontogenetic explanation
reconstructs the evolutionary history of a structure or behavior (type of biological explanation)
evolutionary explanation
describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did (type of biological explanation)
functional explanation
units of heredity that maintain their structural identity from one generation to another; exist in pairs; aligned along chromosomes
Genes (Gregor Mendel)
strands of genes composed of DNA
chromosomes
adenine, guanine, cytosine, & thymine are basis of…
DNA
biological catalysts that regulate chemical reactions in the body
enzymes
identical pair of genes on the chromosome
homozygous
unmatched pair of genes
heterozygous
gene shows a strong effect in either homozygous or heterozygous conditions
dominant
gene shows its effect only in the homozygous condition
recessive
genes located on sex chromosomes
sex-linked
all other genes are….
autosomal
genes that are present in both sexes, but active mainly in one sex
sex-limited
heritable change in DNA molecule
mutation
deals with changes in gene expression without modification of DNA sequence
epigenetics
histones loosen grip on DNA
facilitates gene expression (on)
histones tighten grip on DNA
turns gene off
degree to which variations in some characteristic depend on genetic difference
heritability
change over generations in the frequencies of various genes in a population; reproduction is key regardless if gene is helpful or harmful to the species
evolution
choosing individuals with a desired trait & using them as parents for the next generation
artificial selection
nature also selects & successful individual genes will be prevalent in later generations
Darwin’s insight
Evolution does not mean improvement it means…
change
branch of psychology that deals with how behaviors evolved, especially social behaviors
evolutionary psychology
an action that benefits someone other than the actor
altruistic behavior
idea that individuals help those who will return the favor
reciprocal altruism
selection for gene that benefits individual’s relatives
kin selection
Reasons for animal research
- underlying mechanisms of behavior are similar across species.
- interested in animals for their own sake.
- what we learn from animals can shed light on humans.
- certain experiments cannot be performed on humans.
DNA->RNA->Proteins
Protein synthesis