Evolution, Genes, Environment And Behaviour Flashcards
What were Mendel’s experiments about
How traits and tendencies are transmitted from one generation to the next
Define a genotype
The specific and complete genetic makeup of the individual
Define a phenotype
The individual’s observable characteristics
How are phenotypes produced
Through interaction between the genotype and its environment
What determines how much the environment can influence an organisms development and behaviour
The genotype
Who shares the same genotype
Identical twins
Do identical twins share the same phenotype
No
But the differences are limited by the genotype
What are chromosomes
Double stranded and tightly coiled molecules of DNA
How many chromosomes do almost every cell have
46
How many cells do not have 46 chromosomes
1
What is the only cell which does not have 46 chromosomes
The sex cell
Define genes
The biological units of heredity
What are alleles
Alternative forms of a gene that produce different characteristics
What are the two types of alleles
Recessive
Dominant
What is a monogenic trait
When one gene pair creates a single phenotypic trait
What is polygenic transmission
When a number of gene pairs combine influences to create single phenotypic traits
What percentage of human genes are identical
99.9%
Roughly how many potential genotypes can there be
70 trillion
What is the human genome project
A coordinator effort to map the DNA of the human organism
The human genome consists of around how many genes
20000
When did the human genome project begin
1990
Have the genetic structure of all chromosome pairs been mapped
Yes
What is behavioural genetics
The study of how heredity and environmental factors influence psychological characteristics
What are two key concepts of behavioural genetics
The degree of relatedness
Concordance
What does behavioural genetics attempt to do
Explain why people are different
What is a family study in behavioural genetics
Researchers study relatives to determine genetic similarity on a given trait
What are adoption studies in behavioural genetics
Adopted people are compared to both their biological and adopted parents
What are twin studies in behavioural genetics
Compare trait similarities in identical and fraternal twins
What are monozygotic twins
Identical twins
What are dizygotic twins
Fraternal twins
What are heritability coefficients
Estimates of the extent to which the variation in a specific phenotypic characteristic within a group of people can be attributed to their differing genes
What does behaviourism assume
That there are laws of learning that apply to virtually all organisms
What does ethology focus on
The evolutionary differences between species
What are inherited behavioural adaptions
Traits organisms are born with that help promote chances of survival and reproductive success
What are fixed action patterns
An unlearned behaviour automatically triggered by a particular stimulus
What are the two ways that the environment shapes behaviour
Personal adaption
Species adaption
What is personal adaption a result of
Our interactions with immediate and past environments
What causes special adaption
Influences from the environment through natural selection
What are shared environments
Environments in which its members experience many common features
What are unshared environments
Experiences that are unique
What is a reaction range in genetics
The range of possibilities that a genetic code allows
What determines where a person will fall in the reaction range
The environment
What is epigenetics
The study of changes in gene expression due to environmental factors and independent of DNA
What does the knockout procedure do
Eliminates the particular function of a gene
What does the knock in procedure do
Inserts a new gene during the embryonic stage to study its impact on behaviour
Define evolution
A change over time in the frequency with which particular genes and the characteristics they produce occur within an interbreeding population
Define mutations
Random events and accidents in gene reproduction during division of cells
Define natural selection
Characteristics that increase the likelihood of survival and reproduction will be more likely to be preserved in the population, therefore becoming more common in the species over time
Define adaptions
Physical or behavioural changes that allow organisms to meet recurring environmental challenges to their survival, thereby increasing their reproductive ability
What is sexual strategies theory
Mating strategies reflect inherited tendencies, shaped over the ages in response to different types of adaptive problems that me and women faced
What does social structure theory state
Men and women display different mating offer envies because society guides them into different social roles
