Chapter 1- The Major Issues

Question 1

the hard problem (Chalmers 1995)

Answer 1

given a universe of matter and energy, why is there a thing as consciousness

Question 2

mind-body/ mind-brain problem

Answer 2

the issue of the relationship between mental activity and brain activity

Question 3

biological psychology

Answer 3

the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behavior and experience (brain functioning)

Question 4

physiological explanations (machinery of the body)

Answer 4

relates behavior to the activity of the brain and other organs

Question 5

ontogenetic explanations

Answer 5

describes the development of a structure or a behavior

Question 6

evolutionary explanations

Answer 6

examines evolutionary history of a structure or a behavior

Question 7

functional explanations

Answer 7

describes why a structure or behavior evolved as it did

Question 8

genes

Answer 8

units of heredity that maintain identity aligned along strands of chromosomes

portion of a chromosome composed of a double stranded chemical DNA (deoxyriboenucleic acid)

Question 9

enzymes

Answer 9

biological catalysts that regulate chemical reactions in the body

Question 10

homozygous

Answer 10

identical pair of genes on the two chromosomes

Question 11

heterozygous

Answer 11

an unmatched pair of genes on the two chromosomes

Question 12

dominant gene

Answer 12

shows a strong effect in either homozygous or heterozygous conditions

Question 13

recessive gene

Answer 13

show effect in only homozygous condition

Question 14

sex-linked genes

Answer 14

genes located on the sex chromosomes (XX-female) (XY-male)

Question 15

autosomal genes

Answer 15

all other genes

Question 16

sex-limited genes

Answer 16

genes that are present in both sexes but mainly have effects in one sex

Question 17

mutation

Answer 17

a heritable change in a DNA molecule

Question 18

micro duplication/ micro deletion

Answer 18

part of a chromosome that might appear once might appear twice or not at all

Question 19

epigenetics

Answer 19

changes in gene expression without the modification of of the DNA; altering the chemical environment and the activity of genes through experience (new learning, drug addiction, maternal deprivation, etc)

Question 20

heritability

Answer 20

how much characteristics depend on genetic differences

Question 21

evolution

Answer 21

change over generations in the frequencies of various genes in a population

Question 22

artificial selection

Answer 22

breeding animals/ choosing individuals with desired traits and making them parents of the next generation

Question 23

lamarckian evolution (benefits the individual)

Answer 23

the use or disuse of some structure or behavior causes an increase or decrease in that behavior

Question 24

altruistic evolution/ reciprocal altruism

Answer 24

behaviors that benefit others rather than the individual committing the behavior

returned behavior, animals help those who help them

Question 25

evolutionary psychology

Answer 25

explanations of how behaviors evolved and why natural selection would favor it

Question 26

fitness

Answer 26

the number of copies of ones genes that can endure in later generations

Question 27

kin selection

Answer 27

selection in favor of a gene because it benefits the animals relatives