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PSYC 433 > Exam 1 > Flashcards

Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

Proximate explanation

A

“How” does something happens – the mechanism of how the behavior is generated

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2
Q

Ultimate explanation

A

“Why” does something happens – the reason for the behavior

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3
Q

Biological evolution

A

Change in the properties of populations of organisms, that are inherited via genetic material from one generation to the next

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4
Q

Evolutionary theory by Charles Darwin

A
  1. Tree of life: single common ancestor
  2. Natural selection: Heritable variation in fitness
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5
Q

Heritability

A

A proportion of phenotypic variation influenced by genetics
- range: 1 to 0 (but can never reach 1)

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6
Q

Mendel’s laws of inheritance

A
  1. Acquired characteristics are not inherited
  2. Inheritance occurs in quantum steps (ex. Mendel’s ratios)
  3. Dominance, independent assortment (different traits are independent of each other), and segregation (2 versions of the gene)
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7
Q

Forces in evolution

A
  1. Genetic drift
  2. Natural selection
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8
Q

Genetic drift

A

a mechanism of evolution in which allele frequencies of a population change over generations due to chance (sampling error)
- occurs in all populations of non-infinite size, but its effects are strongest in small populations.
- may result in the loss of some alleles (including beneficial ones) and the fixation, or rise to
100% frequency, of other alleles.

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9
Q

Why does allele frequency change from generation to generation without natural selection?

A
  1. Even if they are fit, not all organisms in the population survive and reproduce
  2. The process of meiosis (making egg or sperm) ensures that an individual does not pass on all their alleles, only half for each reproductive event
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10
Q

Why is genetic drift important to consider?

A
  • major driving force in speciation: same species with reproductive barrier have different frequencies of alleles and overtime genetic drift kicks in
  • The smaller the population size the faster genetic drift will cause divergence
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11
Q

Convergent evolution

A

Traits look similar in different species due to functionality

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12
Q

Conserved evolution

A

Traits look similar in different species due to common ancestry

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13
Q

Evolution selects against ____, and the process of evolution is a highly ____ process instead of ____, unlike the public viewpoint.

A

complexity; branching; linear

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14
Q

What is a theory in science?

A

A statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles or causes of something known or observed

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15
Q

Evolution is NOT “just a theory” from the sense that…

A

it is a fact that organisms have descended with modifications from common ancestors through processes of natural selection and genetic drift

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16
Q

Phenetics

A

Method of classifying organisms based on overall similarity
- Will make mistakes

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17
Q

Cladistics

A

Method of classifying organisms based on most recent common ancestry (shared derived characteristics)

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18
Q

Taxonomy

A

The science of classifying living organisms, usually hierarchical in structure

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19
Q

Phylogenetics

A

The study of historic relatedness among groups of organisms

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20
Q

Phylogeny

A

The evolutionary relationships between a set of organisms, usually species

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21
Q

Systematics

A

The study of the diversity of organism characteristics, especially how they relate to establishing a phylogeny

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22
Q

Primitive character (ancestral or plesiomorphic)

A

Character inherited with little or no change from remote ancestors

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23
Q

Symplesiomorphic

A

Primitive character shared by several species

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24
Q

Synaptomorphic

A

derived character shared by 2 or more species

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25
Cladogram
A pictorial representation of the evolutionary relationships of organisms according to the principles of cladistics
26
Clade
A branch in a cladogram
27
Monophyletic group
A group of organisms which shared a common ancestor and which includes the ancestor and all its descendants
28
Taxon
A grouping of organisms
29
What is Intelligent Design?
The argument that god or other higher being have created/made life as the way they are now
30
William Paley's Argument of Intelligent Design
Since organisms are intricate and well adapted, there can be 2 possible hypothesis: either through intelligent design, or through a random process (using watch making as an analogy)
31
Likelihood Principle
O = True Statement by Observation H1&H2 O strongly favors H1 over H2 if and only if P(O|H1)>>P(O|H2 b)
32
What's an example of P(O|H) does not equal to P(H|O)?
Let O=there is a rumbling in the attic Let H=there is gremlins in the attic and they are bowling Theoretically there can be gremlins upstairs (for P(O|H) situation), but it cannot be true because there are no gremlins (for P(H|O) situation)!
33
What does the bayesian statistics differ from the likelihood principle?
It allows us to introduce known facts or subjective opinions into account rather than only relying on entirely objective data.
34
Why is Paley's argument not valid?
Natural selection is NOT a random process, but involves random variations and non-random retention of variations.
35
Some evolutionists argue that evolution by natural selection has greater likelihood than intelligent design because organisms are not optimal. How is this argument refuted?
"We cannot know for sure what exactly does the higher being wanted the creations to be."
36
Natural selection is a tinkerer that prioritizes ____ than perfection.
Efficiency
37
Universality of the genetic code
- DNA/RNA and codons are the same across species in the eukaryotic lineage - The code is arbitrary - eukaryotes have the exact same tRNA (transfer RNA) responsible for assembling amino acids for protein generation
38
Vestigial organs
Organs that was inherited from common ancestor but has lost its functionality over the course of evolutionary time
39
Evidence for the Tree of Life
1. Vestigial organs 2. Homology (conserved evolution) *Analogy: think of how historical linguists believe different human languages are related to each other
40
Why does Sober say the design hypothesis is unscientific?
hypotheses are testable when they make predictions -- The auxiliary assumptions underlying evolutionary theory are independently supported by evidence.
41
Dawkins: The Selfish Gene - What does he refer to as "survival machines"?
Animals -- survival machines that are under remote control by genes
42
According to Dawkins, survival of the fittest is a special case of a general law: survival of the ____
Stable
43
Three things determine how successful the replicators are
Longevity, fecundity, copying fidelity (accuracy)
44
From the lecture, genes regulate behavior not by remote control, but...
as programmed chess game in order for appropriate reaction against environmental influences.
45
Dawkin's definition of a gene
Any portion of chromosomal material that potentially lasts for enough generations to serve as the unit of selection (not biological though)
46
Biological definition of a gene
A sequence of DNA that encodes a protein or RNA molecule
47
Why does Dawkin define gene as the unit of selection, but not individuals, groups or populations?
"The individual is too large and too temporary a genetic unit to qualify as a significant unit of natural selection"
48
what factors influence how persistent can a gene sequence be?
Crossing over: Process in crossing over that chromosomes from parents exchange sequences The smaller the sequence is, the less likely it will go through crossing over, and the more likely it will persist and be inherited to the next generation
49
How can you form new genetic units?
- Crossing over - Mutation - Inversion - Joining of cistrons
50
Dawkin's explaination for sex
Genes for sex allow the genes to live longer, hence they are selected
51
Evolution stable strategy can be attributed to ____ ____ and ____ determined features, not group selection
individual competition; genetically
52
Sober's argument on altruism
Altruism can evolve when the behavior has negative impact on the individual fitness but benefitial for the group fitness (through group selection)
53
T alleles: group selection?
group/species level selection T allele: meiotic drive: causes sterility in homozygous males: group collapse
54
why is 50/50 sex ratio benefitial for humans?
Humans - strong individual selection Social insects - group selection: having most members sterile focuses resources on the reproducing female
55
Hierarchical levels of selection (Eliot Sober)
- Gene level selection: assortment; competition among genes - Individual selection: Competition between individuals of varying fitness level - Group level selection: number of altruists/females in the group that benefits the overall fitness of the group - Species level selection: ex. hybrid sterility, features that give resistance to extinction and form new species - Clade level selection
56
Haploidiploidy
Bees lay unfertilized egg and becomes male --> haploid male
57
crew boat analogy of Dawkins
- Genes (oarsmen) work together in an organism to determine behavior and therefore is the unit of selection - Not really because genes are not a simple additive thing
58
why is gene a mode of inheritance but not unit of selection
The gene is the mode of biological inheritance -- provide blueprint to construct an organism, but it's not the only unit of selection (Dawkin)
59
extended phenotype
The idea from Dawkins that individual organisms are only remotely controlled survival machines for the genes that they carry - traits serves the genes Extended phenotype: features that are made by individual organisms to perpetuate the mission (ex铁线虫：when outer body control behavior)
60

PSYC 433 (3 decks)

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