Ch.14 Genetics/Temperament

Question 1

Temperment

Answer 1

individual differences and in emotional and motivational tendencies evident in early life; personality processes and structures that do not have intentionality
Refers to emotional/behavioral styles

Question 2

How is temperament different from character?

Answer 2

BIOLOGICAL Temperment: biologically based individual differences in emotional and motivational tendencies that are apparent very early in life
Temperment is usually studied as early as 6 months old^^^^
ENVIRONEMNTAL Charachter: refers to the self-regulatory aspects of behavior including environmental adaptatioj, goal setting and self reflection (how people see themselves and self-regulate)

Question 3

Phrenology:

Answer 3

idea that Gall posited that specific areas of the brain are responsible for specific emotional/behavioral functions

Question 4

Kagan, Childhood Behavioral Profiles

Answer 4

Identified two childhood behavioral profiles in attempt to make a biologically deterministic argument
Inhibted: reacts to unfamiliar stimuli with restraint, avoidance, distress, more unusual fears/phobias
Unhibted: reacts to unfamiliar stimuli positively

Question 5

Limitations and advantages of Kagan’s theory.

Answer 5

LIMITATIONS: However, personality does not vary CATEGORICALLY, as in one or the other, rather dimensionally/on a spectrum; Social experience seems to modify the functioning of amygdala/prefrontal cortex so therefore it is not all due to genetics
ADVANTAGES: used highly objective and rigorous research methods , “Inhibited” shows higher amygdala activity with unfamiliar stimuli; Molecular Bases of Fear: gene that contributes to levels of proteins (stathmin) influences the functioning of the amygdala

Question 6

Effortful Control

Answer 6

The ability to suppress a dominant responser in order to perform a subdominant response (like self-control when eating)

Question 7

Behavioral Genetics

Answer 7

Attempts to determine whether genetic influences contribute to a given observed psychological quality, and determine whether environmental factors contribute to a psychological quality (genetic research often provides support for environmental arguments)

Question 8

Twin Studies

Answer 8

Twin studies gauge the degree to which genetic factors explain individual differences in psychological characteristics
Monozygotic Twins: develop from the same fertilized egg and are genetically identical
Dizygotic Twins: develop from two separately fertilize

Question 9

Heritability Coefficient:

Answer 9

estimates degree to which variation in the population is explained by genetic factors, NOT the degree to which your individual variation is explained by generic factors

Question 10

Molecular Genetic Paradigms

Answer 10

Examining genetic material of different individuals and show the variations on a genetic level

Question 11

Genome Wide Association Studies:

Answer 11

researchers explore variations that may occur at individual locations in the entire human genome

Question 12

Single Nuceotide Polymorphisms

Answer 12

groupings are used to identify particular psychological qualities

Question 13

Shared vs. non shared environmental influence

Answer 13

Shared Environmental Influence: environmental influences that make siblings more alike than they would be based on biology alone (however, tend to not be as influential)
Nonshared Environmental Influence: create differences among siblings in family (much more influential

Question 14

Epigenetics

Answer 14

Genetic factors interacting with environment
Individuals with different genetic constitutions may evoke different responses from the environment
Individuals with different constitutions select and create different environments

Question 15

Histoines

Answer 15

Histones: proteins that contribute to the physical structure of chromosomes; when biochemical processes cause histones to change shape, the changes affect gene expression

Question 16

Classic Evolutionary Approach

Answer 16

Mind contains a set of instincts that have been present for all evolutionary time
Proximate Causes of Behavior: refer to biological processes operating in the organism at the time a behavior is observed
Ultimate Causes: asks why a biological process/mechanism is present in an organism in the first place
Classical evolutionary approach searches for ultimate causes in behavior

Question 17

Classic Evolutionary approach and the mind

Answer 17

First important feature of the mind are those that solve problems related to reproductive success, evolved mental mechanisms are adaptive to way of life since the beginning of time, evolved psychological mechanisms are domain specific NOT INTERCONNECTED, mind contains multiple processing structures

Question 18

Classic Approach, Parental Investment Theory

Answer 18

Parental Investment Theory: biological differences between the sexes cause women to invest more in parenting; they can pass their genes to fewer offspring than men

Question 19

Cultural Evolutionary Approach

Answer 19

Evolution has given our minds the ability to adapt and learn from cultures, that our mind acquires new skills and abilities from
Not accurate, the ability to read for example, is a cultural entity that then creates the needed brain pathways

Question 20

Cognitive Gadget

Answer 20

Cognitive Gagdet: mental tool for thinking and learning acquired due to culture (like reading)

Question 21

Selective Social Learning:

Answer 21

tendency to learn from some individuals but not others

Question 22

Left/Right Hemipshere Dominance

Answer 22

Right side: responds with more negative emotion
Left Side: responds with more positive emotion

Question 23

Neurotransmitters/ Temperament

Answer 23

Dopamine: reward system (too much can lead to schizophrenia, too little can lead to parkinson’s )
Serotonin: regulation of mood
May account for some individual differences
Cortisol: stress responses; individual differences in stress responses
Testosterone: differences in aggression between individuals

Question 24

Three Dimensions of Temperment, Clark & Watson

Answer 24

NE: negative emotionally (right hemisphere)
PE: positive emotionally (legt hemisphere)
DvC: disinhibition vs. constraint (high score would mean recklessness/impulsivity)

Question 25

Hemispheric Laterliazation:

Answer 25

dominance of the right hemisphere associated with activation of negative emotions and personality traits of shyness and inhibition; dominance of the left hemisphere associated with positive emotions

Question 26

Methylation vs. histones

Answer 26

OFF GENE: Methylation; molecule known as a methyl group is attached to a part of a gene and STOPS the reading of that gene
ON Gene: Histone Acetylation; molecule attaches to another location, MAKES A GENE MORE AVAILABLE

Question 27

Assortative Mating:

Answer 27

based on genotypic and phenotypic similarities

Question 28

Thomas and Chess

Answer 28

Easy babies
 Difficult babies
 Slow-to-warm-up babies

Question 29

buss and palomino

Answer 29

Emotionality
 Activity
 Sociability