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NESC 3670: Genes, Brain & Behaviour > Lec 2: trait variation & categorization, basic models of inheritance, connection via DNA > Flashcards

Lec 2: trait variation & categorization, basic models of inheritance, connection via DNA Flashcards

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1
Q

Theodosius Dobzhansky states that “nothing in biology makes sense except in …..”

A

the light of evolution

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2
Q

the cognitive mechanisms that constitute the human brain are assumed to have developed via ____ ___

A

natural selection

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3
Q

list the 4 principles of evolutionary theory

A

1) principle of variation
2) principle of inheritance
3) principle of adaptation
4) principle of evolution

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4
Q

what is the principle of variation?

A

individuals within species show variation in physical and behavioural traits

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5
Q

what is the principle of inheritance?

A

some of this variation is heritable (across generations)

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6
Q

what is the principle of adaptation?

A

individuals are in competition with one another for scarce resources and some inherited variations will have survival advantages

  • has to enhance survival and potential to create offspring
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7
Q

what is the principle of evolution?

A

as a consequence of being better adapted to environment, some individuals will produce more offspring who will inherit some advantages

  • “fitness”
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8
Q

what did Darwin conclude about sexual selection?

A

existence of certain physical features do not contribute to survival

such features were governed by sexual selection

  • creation/maintenance of features essential for attracting the opposite sex and defending ones status

** natural selection and sexual selection work together

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9
Q

what term did W.D. Hamilton (1964) introduce??

A

inclusive fitness

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10
Q

what is inclusive fitness?

A

characteristics will be selected for that improve the changes of an individuals genes being passed directly or via relatives

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11
Q

what is natural selection?

A

principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to INC reproduction/survival will most likely be PASSED on to succeeding generations

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12
Q

what are mutations?

A

random erros in gene replication

lead to change in sequence of nucleotides in genome

result in change sin specific gene expression, brain function and behaviour

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13
Q

what is an adaptive behaviour?

A

evolutionary adaptation that enhances survival and reproductive success

evolves as natural selection fine-tunes an animal to its environment

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14
Q

what are adaptive problems?

A

problems in physical/social environment (e.g. finding mate, food, fighting disease)

  • affect reproductive success
  • each problem tackled by adaptive changes in physiology and behaviour
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15
Q

what do social scientists say about adaptive problems?

A

accept that our bodies have been sculpted by evolutionary forces (e.g. we all possess sweat glands for thermoregulation)

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16
Q

what do evolutionary psychologists argue about adaptive problems?

A

our psychological mechanisms and the resulting behaviour have also been shaped by the same evolutionary forces

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17
Q

what is a proximate causation?

A

immediate psychological, physiological, biochemical, and environmental reasons certain traits exist

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18
Q

name 3 examples of proximate causation

A
  • sensory systems (need to perceive danger)
  • mechanisms that drive muscles that elicit behaviour (need contract muscles to run)
  • cellular activities regulate development (nerve function)
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19
Q

what is ultimate causation?

A

the reason a trait increased fitness in evolutionary past

  • how does internal machinery work? why does it work that way?
  • is that behaviour an adaptation
  • how does that behaviour allow indiv to survive, find food, find mates, escape predators?
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20
Q

not all behaviours are “_____”

A

adaptive

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21
Q

Stephan Jay Gould (1991) cautioned the use of ‘___-__’ stories and explain..

A

‘just-so’ stories

  • exaptations and spandrels
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22
Q

what are exaptations?

A

features that may once have been adaptive for one function may have changed over time to serve a different function (e.g. feathers for warmth then flight)

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23
Q

what are spandrels

A

other features may look like adaptations, but design constraint (e.g. male nipples)

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24
Q

name the roles of the environment that Buss (1998) pointed out

A
  • interaction with environmental features during development are critical for normal development
  • input during development may be required in order to activate certain adaptive features
  • developmental events may channel individuals into one of several different paths (e.g. parenting style)
  • environmental events may disrupt the emergence of an adaptation
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25
Q

what is evolutionary psychology?

A

study of the physiological, evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of behaviour and experience

  • application of Darwinian principles to the understanding of human nature
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26
Q

list the 4 categories that biological explanations of behaviour fall into

A

physiological
ontogenetic
evolutionary
functional

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27
Q

what is the physiological-biological explanation of behaviour

A

relates a behaviour into the activity of the brain and other organs

  • e.g. fight/flight respose
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28
Q

what is the ontogenetic-biological explanation of behaviour

A

describes the development of a structure or behaviour

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29
Q

what is the evolutionary-biological explanation of behaviour

A

reconstructs evolutionary history of a behaviour

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30
Q

what is the functional-biological explanation of behaviour

A

describes WHY a structure or behaviour evolved

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31
Q

brain size of humans has inc how much?

A

3X total capacity

32
Q

where is the biggest inc seen in brain size in humans?

A

prefrontal cortex

33
Q

what is the bidirectional view of evolutionary psych?

A

environmental and biological conditions influence each other

  • evolution gives us bodily structures and biological potentialities, does not dictate behaviour
  • individuals create behaviour in context of culture **
34
Q

who is the father of genetics?

A

Gregor Mendel

35
Q

explain what Gregor Mendel did

A
  • bred true for brown seeds with one bred true for white
  • 1st gen= brown seeds (3/4 brown, 1/4 white)
  • true breeding lines= White (ww), brown (BB)
  • brown was dominant phenotypic trait, appear in all 1st generation offspring (Bw)
36
Q

what is a phenotype?

A

observable traits

37
Q

what is a genotype

A

traits present in the genes

38
Q

what is a gene?

A

each inherited factor

  • segment of DNA (spiraled double chain)
  • contain hereditary code
  • direct cells to reproduce themsleves
  • assemble proteins
39
Q

what is an allele?

A

2 genes that control same trait

40
Q

homozygous vs heterozygous

A

homo= 2 identical alleles (e.g. BB, ww)

hetero= 2 different alleles (Bw)

41
Q

name 2 things the nucleus contains

A

chromosomes

genes

42
Q

what are chromosomes

A

threadlike structures composed of DNA molecules

43
Q

what is DNA?

A

complex double helix molecule containing genetic info

44
Q

what are proteins

A

building blocks of cels

regulators that direct the bodys process

45
Q

what is the human genome project?

A

map the human genome

each gene has own unique location on chromosome

46
Q

what is a genome?

A

set of developmental instructions for making human organism

47
Q

what is a pleiotropic response?

A

more than one gene affecting another gene

48
Q

what is mitosis?

A

reproduction of cells

nucleus duplicate

cell divides

49
Q

what is meiosis

A

cell division that forms sperm and egg (gametes)

each cell divides twice
- 4 cells form with 23 unpaired chromosomes

50
Q

what is fertilization

A

fusing of sperm and egg to create a zygote

creates one set of paired chromosomes

51
Q

sex is determined by…?

A

23rd pair of chromosomes

XX female
XY male

52
Q

what is a karyotype?

A

and appearance of chromosomes in nucleus eukaryotic cell

  • used to distinguish disorders
53
Q

what are 4 sources of variability to normal development?

A

1) combing genes of both parents inc genetic variability
2) identical twins develop from single zygote that splits into 2
3) fraternal twins develop from separate eggs and sperm
4) gene mutations can permanently alter segments of DNA

54
Q

name 6 types single-gene linked abnormalities and examples

A
  • autosomal dominant
  • autosomal recessive
  • x-linked dominant
  • x-linked recessive
  • y-linked
  • mitochondrial
  • e.g. CF, diabetes, hemophilia, huntington’s disease, PKU, sickle-cell anemia, spina bifida, Tay-Sachs disease
55
Q

chromosomal abnormalities occur when??

A

there is an error in cell division following meiosis or mitosis

56
Q

chromosomal abnormalities are caused by…

A

missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA

57
Q

name 5 examples of chromosomal abnormalities

A
  • down syndrome
  • Klinefelter syndrome
  • Fragile X syndrome
  • Turner syndrome
  • XYY syndrome

affect brain function and cognition

58
Q

what are human behavioural and personality characteristics?

A

observable and measurable components of a persons phenotype

  • detectable expression of a persons genotype interacting with his/her environment
59
Q

what is goal of behaviour genetics?

A

seeks to discover the influence of heredity and environment on individual differences in human traits and development

60
Q

what are linkage studies?

A

look for patterns of inheritance of genetic markers in large families

61
Q

what is a genetic marker?

A

segment of DNA that varies among individuals

62
Q

what is heritability?

A

statistical estimate of proportion of the total variance in some trait that is attributable to genetic differences among individuals within a group

  • expressed as proportion (e.g. 0.60 or 60/100)
  • max is 1.0

some variables are highly heritable (e.g. height)

63
Q

name 3 limitations to heritability

A

1) estimate of heritability applies only to particular group living in a particular environment
2) heritability estimates do not apply to individuals, only to variations within a group
3) even highly heritable traits can be modified by the environment

64
Q

heritability of behaviour is estimated in which 3 ways?

A

1) examine whether children more closely resemble adoptive/biological parents
2) compare mono/dizygotic twins
3) examine identical twins raised in diff households (social environment)

65
Q

benefit to adoption studies

A
  • allow researcher to compare correlations between traits of adopted children and biological/adoptive relatives
  • results to estimate heritability
66
Q

what should we see from adoption studies?

A
  • identical twins raised apart have identical genes in diff environment
  • any similarities in traits between identical twins who were separated early in life and reared apart should be primarily genetic and should give estimate of heritability
67
Q

list 4 shared environmental experiences (siblings)

A
  • parents personalities
  • intellectual orientation
  • family SES
  • neighbourhood

shared environment accounts for little of the variation in childrens personality or interest

68
Q

heredity influences non-shared environments through ____ - _____ correlations

A

heredity-environment

69
Q

genotype-environment correlations stay the same// change as children grow???

A

CHANGE

70
Q

name 3 types of heredity-environment correlations/interactions

A
  • passive GE- interaction (parents provide rearing environment)
  • evocative GE- interaction(genotype elicits certain types of physical/social environments)
  • active GE-interaction (when children seek out compatible and stimulating environments)
71
Q

what is IQ

A

intelligent quotient

72
Q

what is IQ measure

A

measure of intelligence

  • divide mental age by chronological age, multiply by 100
73
Q

IQ scores of adopted children are highly correlated with who???

A

their biological parents

74
Q

psychiatric diseases are complex disease that aggregate in ____ but do not segregate in a ____ ____ manner

A

aggregate in families

do not segregate in simple Mendelian manner (not due to 1 specific gene)

75
Q

name 4 experiences that hinder cognitive performance (in development)

A
  • poor prenatal care
  • malnutrition
  • exposure to toxins
  • stressful family circumstances
76
Q

name 2 experiences that enhance cognitive performance

A
  • good health care and nutrition

- mental enrichment in home and childcare/school

NESC 3670: Genes, Brain & Behaviour (12 decks)

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