Hereditary and behaviour research methods Flashcards
what are family studies?
- a study that analyzes if a trait is running in the family.
- expected to have similar phenotypes within families.
- when increased in similarity, it increases in genetic overlap. (Ex: identical twins are extremely alike due to the same genes, therefore are more similar. cousins or siblings on the other hand, have less genetic overlap than identical twins therefore may be less similar).
what are twin studies?
studies how identical (monozygotic) twins and fraternal (dizygotic) twins differ on a trait.
what are adoption studies?
- studies how adopted children may differ from their biological and adoptive parents in various traits, including personality, behavior, and psychological characteristics.
ex: if a child is more like their biological parents who they have never met, that trait is highly influenced by genetics.
what is genetic mapping?
- the process of determining location and chemical sequence of specific genes on specific chromosomes.
what is CRISPR
Clustered Regulatory Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (we are not required to know the full name but I feel like it is gonna come up on an MC question lol)
- a gene editing tool that can modify humans and animals genomes to prevent diseased (such as cystic fibrosis).
- stores viruses for later recognition and defence.
true or false: genes influence many disorders
true. mood or anxiety disorders are greatly influences by genetics.
what is the issue of family studies?
- it is difficult to differentiate environmental influences from genetic influences.
- this is because people who are more closely related are more likely to share an environment (Ex: family).
- therefore phenotype (the way you look) or similarities (hobbies, interests, etc…) could be because of the shared environment instead of the genes.
why are identical twins called monozygotic (MZ)?
- only one type of zygote is formed from the union of a single sperm cell and a single egg.
- this union then splits into 2 resulting in identical genes.
to sum it up: one sperm fertilizes one egg and then the egg splits into two.
why are fraternal twins called dizygotic (DZ)?
- 2 eggs get fertilized by two sperms
- results in babies having different set of genes.
explain the concept of MZ rate > DZ rate supports heredity.
- if identical twins have a higher similarity for a trait (ex: intelligence or extraversion) than faternal twins, then genes are influencing the trait greater than the environment influences the trait.
what do psychopathic traits in twin studies suggest?
- psychopathic traits in twin studies show that identical twins are more likely to share traits like manipulation, lack of empathy, and antisocial behaviours than fraternal twins.
what are prosocial values?
- principles that promote helping others and positive social behavior.
- They encourage actions that benefit others and improve community well-being.
- Ex: kindness, empathy, cooperation, and altruism.
what do prosocial values in twin studies suggest?
- heretibility for prosocial values among twins in Canada show that 60% of variants in prosocial values stem from genetics.
what do biological parents of adopted children contribute?
biological parents only give genetic influence and do not contribute to environmental influence.
in genetic mapping, what is easier to detect?
disorder genes are detected easier than trait genes. (due to polygenic traits)
ex: cystic fibrosis is easer to find on a chromosome than a shyness trait.
