Chapter 2 IQ's Flashcards
what 2 factors interact with the environment to shape our well-being
genetic and epigenetic factors
chromosomes
strings of genetic material in the nuclei of cells
DNA
makes up chromosomes and genes
Genes
units of a chromosome that control/influence inherited traits
genome
all of the DNA an organism posesses
heredity
passing of traits to offspring
mendelian traits
- hereditary traits under the control of a single gene
- aka: monogenic inheritance
- predicting its expression is fairly simple
polygenic traits/inheritance
- hereditary traits influenced by many genes
- predicting its expression is complex
multifactorial inheritance
- both genes and the environment influence the trait
- nature and nurture interact
- predicting its expression is complex
epigenetics
- heritability can be operating above the genetic level
- “epi” = “upon” -> another layer of our genetics influences gene function
epigenome
inherited and acquired modifications to the genome
gene expression
- gene sequence is active
- “turned on”
gene silencing
- gene sequence is made inactive
- “turned off”
how does maternal care affect epigenetics?
- maternal care can alter epigenetic structures in offspring
- ex. mother rat that nurtured her pups more resulted in calmer pups (this change persisted into adulthood)
- even some acquired epigenetic modifications in the lifetime of the parent can be passed on in both animals and humans
why compare identical and fraternal twins to assess heritability of traits?
if identical twins (whose genes are the same) raised apart are more similar than fraternal twins or non-twin siblings (whose genes are similar, but not identical) raised together, heredity must play a role in the trait
are intelligence and attitudes completely genetics-based?
No, there’s a strong genetics component, but because a perfect correlation wasn’t found, we know the environment (and maybe even epigenetic variables) play a role as well
how are epigenetic variables influenced by the environment?
- over time, environmental variables (ie. diet, smoking, fitness levels) can cause changes in epigenetic markers
- we know this because young twins have the same epigenetic patterns, whereas middle-aged twins had big differences in epigenetic patterns
ethology
- genetically determined survival-based behaviours
- ex. “stranger anxiety” ensures that babies/kids don’t run away with strangers
behaviour genetics
- our genes can predict behaviour
- ex. heredity affects intelligence, shyness, and aggressiveness
sociobiology
- using biological explanations for social behaviour
- ex. humans have best chance for survival when they live in groups -> evolution provided us with genetic programming to help us cooperate
how will human genomics influence disease prevention?
- can help treat multifactorial diseases (ie. cancer, heart disease)
- help us understand that external and personal factors influence epigenetics, which can influence our risk of disease
- by understanding epigenetics, we can use this to control/prevent diseases