Unit 3 devlopment

Question 1

behavior genetics

Answer 1

the study of the
relative power and limits of genetic and
environmental influences on behavior

Question 2

environment

Answer 2

every nongenetic
influence, from prenatal nutrition to the
people and things around us.

Question 3

chromosomes:

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid:

genes:

genome:

Answer 3

chromosomes: threadlike structures
made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): a
complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

genes: the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a
segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

genome: the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes.

Question 4

identical vs. fraternal twins

Answer 4

identical twins: twins who develop
from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms.

fraternal twins: twins who develop
from separate fertilized eggs. They
are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment.

Question 5

temperament

Answer 5

a person’s characteristic
emotional reactivity and intensity.

Question 6

heritability

Answer 6

the proportion of variation
among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

Question 7

interaction

Answer 7

the interplay that occurs
when the effect of one factor (such as
environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity).

Question 8

molecular genetics:

evolutionary psychology:

natural selection:

mutation:

Answer 8

molecular genetics: the subfield of
biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

evolutionary psychology: the study of
the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection.

natural selection the principle that,
among the range of inherited trait
variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

mutation a random error in gene
replication that leads to a change.

Question 9

gender:

culture:

Answer 9

gender: in psychology, the biologically
and socially influenced characteristics
by which people define male and
female.

culture: the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted
from one generation to the next.

Question 10

norm:

personal space:

individual:

collectivism:

Answer 10

norm: an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe “proper” behavior

personal space: the buffer zone we
like to maintain around our bodies.

individualism: giving priority to one’s
own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group
identifications.

collectivism: giving priority to goals
of one’s group (often one’s extended
family or work group) and defining one’s
identity accordingly

Question 11

aggression

Answer 11

aggression: physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.

Question 12

x chromosome:

y chromosome:

Answer 12

X chromosome :the sex chromosome
found in both men and women. Females have two X chromosomes; males have one. An X chromosome from each parent produces a female child.

Y chromosome: the sex chromosome
found only in males. When paired with
an X chromosome from the mother, it
produces a male child.

Question 13

testosterone

Answer 13

the most important of
the male sex hormones. Both males and
females have it, but the additional
testosterone in males stimulates the
growth of the male sex organs in the
fetus and the development of the male
sex characteristics during puberty.

Question 14

role:

gender role:

gender identity:

gender typing:

social learning theory:

Answer 14

role: a set of expectations (norms)
about a social position, defining how
those in the position ought to behave.

gender role: a set of expected behaviors for males or for females

gender identity: our sense of being
male or female

gender typing: the acquisition of a
traditional masculine or feminine role.

social learning theory: the theory
that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded
or punished.

Question 15

zygote:

embryo:

fetus:

Answer 15

zygote: the fertilized egg; it enters a 2- week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.

embryo: the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.

fetus: the developing human organism
from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Question 16

teratogens:

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS):

habituation:

Answer 16

teratogens: agents, such as chemicals
and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development
and cause harm.

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS):
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions.

habituation: decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

Question 17

maturation

Answer 17

biological growth
processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.

Question 18

schema:

assimilation:

accommodation:

Answer 18

schema: a concept or framework that
organizes and interprets information.

assimilation: interpreting our new
experience in terms of our existing
schemas.

accommodation: adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Question 19

sensorimotor stage:

object permanence:

Answer 19

sensorimotor stage: in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities.

object permanence: the awareness
that things continue to exist even when not perceived.

Question 20

preoperational stage:

conservation;

egocentrism:

Answer 20

preoperational stage: in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 or 7 years
of age) during which a child learns to use
language but does not yet comprehend
the mental operations of concrete logic.

conservation the principle (which
Piaget believed to be a part of concrete
operational reasoning) that properties
such as mass, volume, and number
remain the same despite changes in the
forms of objects.

egocentrism: in Piaget’s theory, the
preoperational child’s difficulty taking
another’s point of view.

Question 21

theory of mind:

concrete operational stage:

formal operational stage:

Answer 21

theory of mind: people’s ideas about
their own and others’ mental states—
about their feelings, perceptions, and
thoughts, and the behaviors these might
predict.

concrete operational stage: in
Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive
development (from about 6 or 7 to 11
years of age) during which children gain
the mental operations that enable them
to think logically about concrete events.

formal operational stage: in Piaget’s
theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12)
during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Question 22

autism

Answer 22

a disorder that appears in
childhood and is marked by deficient
communication, social interaction, and
understanding of others’ states of mind.

Question 23

stranger anxiety:

attchment:

critical period:

imprinting:

Answer 23

stranger anxiety: the fear of strangers
that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.

attachment: an emotional tie with
another person; shown in young children
by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.

critical period: an optimal period
shortly after birth when an organism’s
exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development.

imprinting: the process by which certain animals form attachments during a
critical period very early in life

Question 24

basic trust

Answer 24

according to Erik Erikson,
a sense that the world is predictable and
trustworthy; said to be formed during
infancy by appropriate experiences with
responsive caregivers.

Question 25

self-concept

Answer 25

our understanding and
evaluation of who we are.