Genetic Flashcards
What are the three studies that attempt to overcome the environmental issues associated with genetic explanations? (Genetic Depression)
Twins, adoption and screening
Who did McGuffin (1996) study? (Genetic depression)
Twins
What did McGuffin (1996) find? (Genetic depression)
The concordance rate of mz = 46% and dz = 20%
What does McGuffins findings fail to do? (Genetic depression)
They do not show 100% concordance rate between MZ twins, so environmental factors must be present
Who did Wender (1986) study? (Genetic depression)
Adopted children
What did Wender (1986) find? (Genetic depression)
If the adopted child has depression, the biological parents are 7x more likely to have depression than the adoptive parents
What did Wender (1986) fail to take into account? (Genetic depression)
Adoption processes are highly stressful and that may have led to the depression
What gene is responsible for serotonin transportation? (Genetic depression)
5HTT
Who did Moffit et al (2003) study? (Genetic depression)
847 New Zealenders
What did Moffit et al (2003) find? (Genetic depression)
Those with a short variation of the 5HTT gene were 47% more likely to suffer from depression than those with the long variation who were 17%
What did Merikangas et al (2009) find? (Genetic depression)
Conclusions about having one sole gene that influences depression is not plausible
What is the best way to explain the biological model? (Genetic depression)
Diathesis stress model
What is the main issue with gene science? (Genetic depression)
Ethical issues, especially stigmatisation
What’s an example of genetic discrimination? (Genetic depression)
In Australia, some insurance companies refuse to give people with specific genes life insurance
What is the genetic explanation based on? (Genetic Depression)
We inherit the combined DNA of our parents, also predispositions to specific behavioural traits
