Gnetics and behavior Flashcards
(4 cards)
what is genetics
Genetics is the study of heredity.
introduction
-A key assumption of the biological approach is that human behaviour is strongly influenced by our genetic makeup and inheritance.
-Genetic similarities is a more specific topic, referred to as relatedness.
-The greater the genetic similarities between two individuals or a group of individuals, the higher the degree of relatedness.
-This topic relates to the research methods (and studies) based on the idea of similarity (or relatedness) between relatives and non-relatives: twin studies, family studies and adoption studies.
-Thus, twin, kinship and adoption studies are ideal for showing genetic similarity for one behaviour among twins, siblings, parents and adopted children.
Twin Studies
Correlational study.
-Allow reasearchers to see links between genes and behavior and study genetic similarities.
-Twin studies gather grouops of monozygotic and dizygotic twins and they measure behaviours.
-They may use survery or questionnaires to measure intelligence.
-After gather behavioural data the researchers compare the similarities MZ twins and DZ twins by calculating the concordance rate.
-percentage taht shows the degree of similarity between two people.
Critical thinking
- twin studies are the only way to investigate the genetic basis f behavior
- As MZ share 100% of genes any differences is due to their environment
- naturally occuring variable reduces risk of researcher bias
- non experimental cannot draw out cause-effect relationship . Genetics influence a behaviour but don’t entirely cause it
- genetic explanations are reductionist as they reduce complex condictions to the supposed activity of just a small number of genes.