Lecture 2

Question 1

What is the field behavioural genetics studying?

Answer 1

Discover the factors that are biological or environmental that contribute to our development.

Question 2

What is epigenetics?

Answer 2

The environment can change our genes.

Question 3

What is genotype?

Answer 3

Genotype is the set of genes you inherit from your parents at conception.

Question 4

Define Phenotype

Answer 4

Is how your genes display themselves. Environmental factors such as malnutrition can affect phenotype.

Question 5

Describe the results from the Rat Maze study of rats intelligence:

Answer 5

The bright rats offspring were brighter, but maze bright rats raised in an impoverished environment were just average, while maze dull rats raised in an enriched stimulus environment used all their potential and were also closer to average.

Question 6

Describe polygenic behaviour:

Answer 6

Hundreds of different genes combining in different ways to create an effect ex. intelligence

Question 7

What are three ways we can disengage the effects of genes and environment?

Answer 7

1) Adoption Studies
2) Family Studies
3) Twin Studies

Question 8

How doe adoption studies work?

Answer 8

Study the similarity to adoptive (environment) vs biological relatives (genes).

Question 9

What did the adoption study on extraversion find?

Answer 9

Children are more similar to biological parents in extraversion. It appears that genetics are playing a bigger role than environment.

Question 10

What does a family study consist of?

Answer 10

Compare relatedness with concordance. If something has a strong genetic component it is e expected you will have more in common with a sibling

Question 11

What are the types of twin studies?

Answer 11

Monozygotic vs Dizygotic

Reared together vs apart

Question 12

What does it mean if twins reared apart have the same concordance rate?

Answer 12

environment doesn’t play a big role

Question 13

What is the risk of developing schizophrenia for monozygotic twins if one has it?

Answer 13

50%

Question 14

what is dizygotic twins risk of developing schizophrenia if one has it?

Answer 14

10%

Question 15

What percent of MZ share placenta? DZ?

Answer 15

75% of MZ
1% of DZ
Therefore in the womb MZ have a more similar environment

Question 16

What did the Minnesota Twin Study look at?

Answer 16

Twins reared apart and together (as control). It looked at differences in Height, weight, IQ and CPI personality

Question 17

What did the Minnesota twin study find?

Answer 17

No significant difference for weight, height. IQ and CPI personality. As long as there is no extreme environment parents don’t affect kids.

Question 18

Does environment actually matter?

Answer 18

It is possible that because of similar genes, MZ twin evoke similar effective psychological environment. ex. Athletic = team sports

Question 19

Give an example of how genetics can change environment?

Answer 19

Kids who are naturally athletic will enjoy participating in sports and become more athletic :) or your own example

Question 20

What is the Mozart effect?

Answer 20

University study in 90s where Undergrads who listened to Mozart before a test temporarily had increased scores.

Question 21

What does science say Mozart and Baby Einstein do for your baby?

Answer 21

NOTHING Muwhaha

Question 22

What is the fastest organ to reach adult size?

Answer 22

The brain

Question 23

What percentage of the brain has grown by:
birth?
Two?
Six?

Answer 23

birth= 30%
Two= 70%
Six= 90%

Question 24

When does the brain growth spurt occur?

Answer 24

Between birth and two

Question 25

How many grams does the brain grow by between the age of birth and two?

Answer 25

1.7 grams/ day

Question 26

What is myelination important for?

Answer 26

communication

Question 27

What is one thing that can cause poor myelination?

Answer 27

malnutrition

Question 28

How much of the brains volume is due to myelingation

Answer 28

50%

Question 29

How do electrical pulses travel through the cell?

Answer 29

dendrites --> axon across myelin sheath to Synapse

Question 30

What is synaptogenesis?

Answer 30

- Creation of new synapses - Synapses are easily created and tons are created in the first year of life during the brain growth spurt - Experiences and Environment is what causes synaptogenesis - Neurons that encounter stimulus from our environment create synapses

Question 31

When does synaptic pruning occur?

Answer 31

approx. 18 months

Question 32

What happens if synaptic pruning doesn't occur?

Answer 32

Children with autism have bad synaptic pruning

Question 33

What structure of the brain is last to finish developing?

Answer 33

Cerebral cortex

Question 34

What age does the frontal lobe keep developing to?

Answer 34

Age 20 and 30

Question 35

How much of the brains volume does the cerebral cortex account for in adulthood?

Answer 35

80%

Question 36

How are cortex growth spurts timed?

Answer 36

Timed to gaining certain abilities: auditory visual - first year of life Language - Preschool Frontal - age 10-12

Question 37

What are sensitive periods?

Answer 37

- A period during which a certain type of stimulation of the brain is necessary * We believe the sensitive periods are when these areas of the brain are developing quickly

Question 38

How do animal studies support sensitive periods? Nature needs nurture?

Answer 38

Kittens: brain damage and permanentlycan't see if not exposed to light in 4th week of life.

Question 39

Proof nature needs nurture:

Answer 39

Sensitive periods + | Rats: The brain size of rats in the impoverish envir. was smaller than rich envir.

Question 40

What were the result of the East European adoption study?

Answer 40

Babies without stimulation adopted at: 0-6 mths= 1%more than brits cog. impaired 6-24 mths= (brain growth spurt) many impaired after 2 yrs= Even bigger increase ( I don't have % in my notes)

Question 41

What are the two stages of brain development?

Answer 41

* Experience Expectant Growth | * Experience Dependent Growth

Question 42

Experience expectant brain growth

Answer 42

- What the brain expects to get in order to develop - Normal experiences, touching, feeling, moving, experimenting, cuddling, cooing - this is all you need for optimal brain growth - a finite amount that you need and exceeding that is not helpful

Question 43

Experience dependent brain growth

Answer 43

Experiences because of your individual life and the things that you enjoy - Study suggesting that the brains of poets and musicians are different because of the experiences/ expertise - No limit, the more you do the more brain growth that occurs.