GENETICS The developing brain is shaped by both biology and culture. Discuss the mechanisms by which this shaping might occur.

Question 1

The shaping of the developing brain by biology and culture is the mainstay of the emerging discipline of what?

Answer 1

cultural neuroscience

Question 2

Indeed, research in cultural neuroscience is motivated by two intriguing questions: - what are they?

Answer 2

1. how do cultural traits shape neurobiology and behavior?
2. how do neurobiological mechanisms facilitate the emergence and transmission of cultural traits?

cultural traits = values, beliefs, practices

Question 3

The idea that complex behavior results from the dynamic interaction of genes and cultural environment is not new; however, cultural neuroscience …

Answer 3

represents a novel empirical approach to demonstrating the bidirectional interactions between culture and biology by integrating theory and methods from cultural psychology, neuroscience and neurogenetics.

Question 4

From what 3 disciplines does cultural neuroscience integrate methods?

Answer 4

cultural psychology
neuroscience
neurogenetics

Question 5

Essay structure for how the developing brain is shaped by both biology and culture?

Answer 5

1. Intro
2. Mechanisms (genetic research; research on neural correlates and structural change)
3. Conclusion

Question 6

What are the 2 main subheadings in the ‘mechanisms’ section?

Answer 6

1. genetic research

2. Research on neural correlates and structural change

Question 7

There are a number of different models and theories that describe different types of genetic mechanisms that attempt to explain how the developing brain is shaped by both biology and culture. Two of the most influential of these are what? include citations

Answer 7

1. The theory of dual inheritance (Boyd and Richerson, 1985)

Gene-culture interaction model (Kim and Sasaki, 2014)

Question 8

Aside from genetic research, what else has provided some insight on functional and structural differences in the brain across culture, and the mechanisms that may underlie them?

Answer 8

Neuroimaging research

Question 9

We will begin by looking at… before turning to do the same with…

Answer 9

the genetic models and examples of potential biological and cultural mechanisms within them

the neuroimaging research

Question 10

GENETIC RESEARCH

The brain is largely made of X

Answer 10

proteins

Question 11

The brain is largely made of proteins, behind each protein is a X

Answer 11

gene

Question 12

The brain is largely made of proteins, behind each protein is a gene:…

Answer 12

a spiral of DNA that superintends its construction out of amino acids.

Question 13

The genetic research behind the theory of dual inheritance and the gene-culture model can help …

Answer 13

illuminate the mechanisms by which the brain is shaped by both biology and culture.

Question 14

What does the theory of dual inheritance (Boyd and Richerson, 1985) posit?

Answer 14

That just as the process of natural selection acts on genes to transmit genetic information from one generation to the next, cultural traits are adaptive, and cultural selection may simultaneously influence and be influenced by genetic selection.

Question 15

Numerous empirical studies have found support for the theory of dual inheritance. For example?

Answer 15

in a study of lactose tolerance across Europe, Beja-Pereira et al (2013) showed that cultures that depend more on milk products tend to support lactose-tolerant human populations

Question 16

What was Beja-Pereira et al’s study on? What did they show?

Answer 16

Lactose tolerance across Europe

They showed that cultures that depend more on milk products tend to support lactose-tolerant human populations

Question 17

In their study of lactose tolerance across Europe, Beja-Pereira et al (2013) showed that cultures that depend more on milk products tend to support lactose-tolerant human populations. What did they argue?

Answer 17

The authors argued that the human fitness advantages of milk consumption led to: 1) selection of genes for lactose tolerance in humans, and 2) transmission of cultural practices supporting cattle domestication and milk consumption.

Question 18

The authors argued that the human fitness advantages of milk consumption led to: 1) selection of genes for lactose tolerance in humans, and 2) transmission of cultural practices supporting cattle domestication and milk consumption.

How do these findings support dual inheritance theory?

Answer 18

The co-occurance of these events suggest that genes and culture may influence on another in coevolution.

Question 19

From the gene-culture interaction perspective?

Answer 19

genetic influences shape psychological and behavioural predispositions, and cultural influences may shape how these predispositions are manifested in social behaviors and psychological outcomes

Question 20

What is the difference between dual inheritance theory and the gene-culture interaction model?

Answer 20

dual inheritance theory concerns the distribution of specific genes within cultural groups, whereas the gene-culture interaction model concerns culturally moderated associations between specific genes and behavioural and psychological tendencies.

Question 21

There are many empirical studies that support the gene-culture interaction, and use it to examine mechanisms that help to explain how culture and biology interaction to influence the developing brain. For example?

Answer 21

Ishii et al (unpublished manuscript) used the model of gene-culture interaction with the 5-HTTLPR serotonin system polymorphism by investigating cultural differences in perceiving changes in facial expressions, and whether 5-HTTLPR modulates these cultural differences.

Question 22

What was Ishii et al’s (unpublished manuscript) study based on?

Answer 22

In a previous study, Japanese and Americans watched videos of faces with disappearing smiles (happy to neutral) and judged the point at which the emotional expressions disappeared. Japanese detected the disappearance of smiles more quickly than Americans.

Question 23

In a previous study by Ishii et al (2011), Japanese and Americans watched videos of faces with disappearing smiles (happy to neutral) and judged the point at which the emotional expressions disappeared. Japanese detected the disappearance of smiles more quickly than Americans. Why did they argue this happened?

Answer 23

The authors maintained that this is because social disapproval carries greater psychological importance in Japanese culture

Question 24

The authors maintained that this is because social disapproval carries greater psychological importance in Japanese culture (Ishii et al 2011). Building on this finding, a gene-culture interaction study by Ishii et al (unpublished manuscript) found what? 3 pts

Answer 24

that Japanese with the SS genotype, which is theorized to be linked to greater susceptibility to environmental input, detected the disappearance of smiles with greater perceptual tendency, closely embodying the predominant cultural tendency, compared with Japanese with the SL and LL genotypes.

Americans did not differ by genotypes

Additionally, Asian Americans born and raised in the United States showed a pattern consistent with European Americans, whereas the Japan born Japanese pattern differed from both groups.

Question 25

a gene-culture interaction study found that Japanese with the [blank] genotype, which is theorized to be linked to greater susceptibility to environmental input, detected the disappearance of smiles with greater perceptual tendency, closely embodying the predominant cultural tendency, compared with Japanese with the [blank] and [blank] genotypes. Who conducted the study?

Answer 25

SS

SL

LL

Ishii et al (unpublished manuscript)

Question 26

What did the results by Ishii et al (unpublished manuscript) demonstrate?

Answer 26

These results demonstrated that the 5-HttlPR polymorphism interacts with cultural factors in affect the perception of facial expressions, and those with greater environmental susceptibility seem to heighten their vigilance for culturally emphasized aspects of social cues.