Chapter 3 Key Terms

Question 1

every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

Answer 1

environment

Question 2

study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Answer 2

behavior genetics

Question 3

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

Answer 3

chromosomes

Question 4

a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes

Answer 4

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

Question 5

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

Answer 5

genes

Question 6

the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes

Answer 6

genome

Question 7

many genes that act together that influence human traits

Answer 7

gene complexes

Question 8

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

Answer 8

identical twins

Question 9

twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment

Answer 9

fraternal twins

Question 10

a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Answer 10

temperament

Question 11

the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. Depends on the range of populations and environments studied

Answer 11

heritability

Question 12

effect of one factor (like environment) depends on another factor (like heredity)

Answer 12

interactions

Question 13

subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure & function of genes

Answer 13

molecular genetics

Question 14

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

Answer 14

evolutionary psychology

Question 15

principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Answer 15

natural selection

Question 16

a random error in gene replication that leads to a change

Answer 16

mutations

Question 17

in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female

Answer 17

gender

Question 18

massive loss of unemployed neural connections by puberty

Answer 18

pruning

Question 19

kids seek out peers with similar attitudes and interests

Answer 19

selection effect

Question 20

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Answer 20

culture

Question 21

an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior; prescribe “proper” behavior

Answer 21

norm

Question 22

the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies

Answer 22

personal space

Question 23

giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Answer 23

individualism

Question 24

giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly

Answer 24

collectivism

Question 25

physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone

Answer 25

aggression

Question 26

men hazard answers rather than admitting they don’t know

Answer 26

male answer syndrome

Question 27

the sex chromosome found in both men and women; females have two, males have one; one from each parent produces a female child

Answer 27

x chromosome

Question 28

the sex chromosome found only in males; when paired with the chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child

Answer 28

y chromosome

Question 29

most important of male sex hormones; both males and females have it, but the additional amount in males stimulates the growth of male sex organs in the fetus and the development of male sex characteristics during puberty

Answer 29

testosterone

Question 30

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Answer 30

role

Question 31

a set of expected behaviors for males and for females

Answer 31

gender role

Question 32

one’s sense of being male or female

Answer 32

gender identity

Question 33

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role

Answer 33

gender-typing

Question 34

theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

Answer 34

social learning theory

Question 35

theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly

Answer 35

gender schema theory

Question 36

formed concepts

Answer 36

schema

Question 37

principle that we should prefer the simplest of competing explanations

Answer 37

Occam’s razor

Question 38

act on sense of difference by living as a member of opposite sex, often with hormonal and surgical interventions that support this gender reassignment

Answer 38

transsexual

Question 39

have a sense of sexual identity that is different from their birth sex

Answer 39

transgender