module 7 - genetics, evolutionary psychology and behavior

Question 1

two factors that influence individual differences in behavior

Answer 1

• heredity (DNA)
• environment (culture, education, diet, experiences, etc.)
• most are influenced by both

Question 2

genome

Answer 2

• complete instruction book for building you from scratch
• complete DNA code (book)

Question 3

chromosome

Answer 3

• we have 23 pairs
• (chapters)

Question 4

genes

Answer 4

instructions for making a protein (sentences)

Question 5

codons

Answer 5

• sequences of 3 nucleotides that are read together
  3-letter words

Question 6

nucleotides (bases)

Answer 6

• letters
• a,t,c,g

Question 7

how does the DNA in sex cells differ from other cells

Answer 7

• only contains 23 chromosomes
• which one of each pair is selected is essentially random (half from mother, half from father)
• 23rd pair of chromosomes are the sex chromosomes

Question 8

two types of twins

Answer 8

1. identical (monozygotic)
   
   • one zygote that splits into two
2. fraternal (dizygotic)
   
   • two different zygotes

Question 9

studies on monozygotic vs. dizygotic twins

Answer 9

• looks to see how genetics affect people
• confounding variables:
  
  • dizygotic can be different genders
  • experiences of identical twins can be different from fraternal

Question 10

compare monozygotic twins raised apart

Answer 10

• studies effects of environment
• rare

Question 11

adoption studies

Answer 11

• compare similarity of adopted siblings who have the same vs. different biological parents
• if the biological siblings are more similar (on average) than the biological siblings in some trait, that suggests a genetic component to the trait

Question 12

4 examples of hereditary traits

Answer 12

• personality
• disorders (autism, etc.)
• intelligence
• brain waves, heart rate

Question 13

3 traits that are largely environmental

Answer 13

• religious views
• political views
• various habits

Question 14

epigenetics

Answer 14

• environmental influences on gene expression
• ex: some genes can make you more susceptible to depression, but only expressed after some environmental factors

Question 15

can genes influence environment?

Answer 15

• yes
• ex: if you are naturally athletic, you may end up playing sports and be in certain environments that you otherwise wouldn’t

Question 16

evolutionary psychology

Answer 16

evolution of mind and behavior natural selection

Question 17

mutation

Answer 17

random change in a sex cell that ends up in offspring

Question 18

mismatch

Answer 18

evolved that that was beneficial in the ancestral environment but not in current environment (attraction to sugar and salt)