Chapter 1 Flashcards
David Chalmers
The Hard Problem
A good question of the relationship between physics & psychology.
Given this universe composed of matter & energy, why’s there such a thing as consciousness?
Rene’ Descartes.
The belief that the mind & brain are different kinds of substance & exist independently; 2 different things
Dualism
The belief that the universe consist of only 1 kind of substance; same thing, only one.
Monism
The study of the physiological, evolutionary, & developmental mechanisms of behaviour & experience.
Biological Psychology
Anterior; From above
Dorsal View
Posterior; from below
Ventral View
Physical Structure; relates a behavior to the activity of the brain & other organs.
Physiological Explanation
Ex: the brain area that allows birds to sing is larger in males than in females; they’re capable of singing louder.
Genesis (origin of being; the beginning)
Describes how a structure or behavior develops, including the influences of genes, nutrition, experiences, & their interactions.
Ontogenetic Explanation
Ex: Young males learn to sing by listening to other males. Development of song requires certain genes & opportunity to hear the appropriate songs.
Reconstructs the evolutionary history of a structure or behavior.
Evolutionary explanation
Ex: similar species of birds have similar songs. the similarity suggests the 2 species evolved from a single ancestor.
Why did something develop the way it did?
Describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did.
Are often controversial…
Functional explanation
Ex: in most species, only the male bird sings. This allows him to attract a mate & ward off other birds.
Gregor Mendel
19th Century Monk; studied pea plants
demonstrated that inheritance depends on genes.
Units of heredity that maintain their structural identity from one generation to another.
Exist in pairs (as a rule)
Genes
Strands of genes composed of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Exception to rule is male mammal- has unpaired X & Y chromosomes w/different genes.
Chromosomes
Double stranded molecule; Provides the template for synthesis of ribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA contains 4 “bases”
Adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine
Biological catalysts that regulate chemical reactions in the body
Enzymes
Identical pair of genes on the chromosomes (same)
Homozygous
Unmatched pair of genes (different)
Heterozygous
Shows a strong effect in either homozygous or heterozygous conditions
Dominant gene
Shows its effect only in the homozygous condition
Recessive gene
Sort of mutant gene
Allele
Genes located on the sex chromosomes.
In mammals, 2 sex chromosomes are designated X & Y
Sex-linked genes
Females (XX)
Males (XY)
All other genes except sex-linked
Autosomal chromosomes & genes
Genes that are present in both sexes, but active mainly in one sex.
Sex-Limited genes
chest hair in men, breast in women
Heritable change in a DNA molecule
Mutation
Microduplication/Microdeletion
Part of a chromosome that might appear once might appear twice or not at all.
Deals w/changes in gene expression w/o modification of DNA sequence
Epigenetics
Adds acetyl groups to histone tails near a gene, causing histones to loosen their grip on the DNA
Turns the genes on
Removal of acetyl group causes histones to tighten their grip on the DNA
Turns the gene off
Monozygotic (twins)
developed from 1 egg “identical twins”
Dizygotic (twins)
developed from 2 eggs; fraternal twins
Degree to which variations in some characteristic depend on genetic differences
Heritability
“virtual twins”
kids the same age, adopted @ same time into a single family.
behavior is very similar= environment role
behavior is very different=gene role
Genetic inability to metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
Change over generations in the frequencies of various genes in a population (doesn’t always mean better)
Evolution
Reasoning for evolution
Offspring generally resemble their parents- genetic reasons.
Mutations of genes occasionally introduce new heritable variations.
Certain individuals successfully reproduce more than others do.
Choosing individuals w/a desired trait & using them as parents for the nxt generation
Artificial Selection
Darwin’s Insight
Nature also selects, & successful individual’s genes will be prevalent in later generations.
Lamarckian Evolution (Jean Lamarck)
use or disuse of a structure or behavior can cause an evolutionary increase or decrease in that feature (inheritance of acquired characteristics)
Deals w/how behaviors evolved, especially social behaviors; Focuses upon functional & evolutionary explanations of how behavior evolved.
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 a gene that benefits the individual’s relatives
Kin Selection
Favored Explanation
Minimalts
Favor firm regulation on Research
Abolitionists
No animal research; animals have same rights as humans
