Week 14 Flashcards
What are the two views of behaviour?
nativism and empiricism
Nativism
certain abilities are present at birth
Empiricism
everyone is born a blank slate
Behaviour genetics
The study of genetic influence on behaviour
How many chromosomes do humans have?
22 autosomes and the 23rd pair is the sex genes
Genes
regions of chromosomes that encode particular genes which results in inheritable traits
Locus
The point where a particular gene is located on a chromosome
When is a gene homozygous
when two genes appear on the same place on a locus
When is a gene heterozygous
When two genes appear in different places on the locus
Alleles
Pair of genes at a given locus
Genotype
the genetic makeup of a trait. Genotypes determine how much the environment can influence an organism’s development and behaviour
Phenotype
How a trait is expressed by an organism. A person’s phenotype is produced by the interaction between a genotype and it’s environment
Polygenic
A trait that is influenced by more than one pair of genes
What is inheritance the result of?
many genes working together and being affected by environmental factors
Concordant trait
when two twins share the same trait
Concordance rate
the percentage of twins in a study that show the same traits
Epigenetics
The study of heritable change that occurs without a change in the DNA sequence, such as environmental factors which tags genes and turns them on and off.
What regulates gene expression
stress, diet, behaviour, toxins, the environment, etc. and they activate chemical switches
Differentiated cells
less specialized cells that become more specialized than other cells of the same type over time. These cells become specialized based on specific signals that cause incremental change in gene expression patterns.
Studies tells us about population effects, not individual ones
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polygenic traits such as height or intelligence lie on a continuum of behaviour; their inheritance is not an all-or-nothing effect
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it is difficult to separate nature and nurture; they often interact in a way where genetics can be changed by the environment
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Heritability
The degree to which the variability of a particular gene in a particular population is a result of genetic differences among these organisms
What is a misconception of heritability
it does not describe the extent to which the inherited genes are responsible for producing a particular trait
Are large or small populations likely to have high heritability
Smaller populations are more likely to have higher heritability because of a small genetic variability
Intelligence
A person’s ability to learn and remember information, recognize concepts and their relations, and to apply the information to their own behaviour in an adaptive way
Differential Approach
An approach to psychology devoted to tests and measures of individual differences in various psychological properties, including people’s abilities to solve problems
Factor Analysis
a method to determine correlations between individual items on a test. If a group of test items correlate highly with each other, it provides evidence that they are measuring the same thing
Binet - Simon scale
Test used to identify mentally challenged children by assessing scholastic skills (memory, common knowledge, etc.)
Mental Age
A measure of a person’s intellectual development; the level of intellectual development that could be expected for an average child of a particular age
Deviation IQ
A procedure for calculating IQ; compares an individual’s score with those received by other individuals of the same chronological age
Fluid Intelligence
defined by relatively culture-free tasks, such as the ability to see relations among objects or the ability to see patterns in a repeating series of items. Relates to a person’s potential.
Crystallized intelligence
Defined by tasks that require people to have acquired information from their culture, such as vocabulary and the kind of information learned in school (fact based). Related to a person’s accomplishment.
Intelligence Quotient
A simplified single measure of general intelligence
What are the three steps to make sure an intelligence test measures what it is supposed to?
Standardization, reliability, validity
Standardization
determining typical performance on a test. It is important to make sure it is able to measure the differentiations we’re interested in
Norm
Data concerning comparison groups that permit an individual’s score to be assessed relative to his or her peers
Reliability
the repeatability of a measurement; the likelihood that if the measurement were made again, it would produce the same value
Validity
Degree to which the operational definition of a variable accurately reflects the variable it is designed to measure or manipulate.
What are the three attributes that underlies the difference that correlates intelligence and brain activity
Efficient use of neural resources; high efficiency is reflected by lower levels of activation in areas of brain used to perform a particular task
High synchronization between cortical centers
Adaptation of cortical networks in the face of changing demands
Gene-environmental covariation
When exposure to environmental condition is correlated with a person’s genes
G Factor
a factor of intelligence that is common to all intelligence tasks; tasks include apprehension of experience, eduction of relations, and eduction of correlates
At the individual level, inheritance is a better predictor than environment
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At the population level, environmental factors are more powerful
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Gardner-theory of Multiple Intelligences
Argues that intelligence are situated with cultures and may or may not be activated depending on the individual’s culture’s values of that specific intelligence. He argues that there is 8 different intelligences (intrapersonal, interpresonal, etc.)
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory
Argues there are three types of intelligence: conventional intelligence (IQ Tests), creative intelligence (creative and new ways to solve problems, learning from experience), and Practical intelligence (street smarts)
What are some controversies surrounding intelligence tests?
intelligence testing is a growth industry, it focuses on the outcome and not process, it does not measure attitude and motivation, and tests depend on exposure and test-taking skills
Expression
some genes are turned on for a few hours during development and never again after
Epigenetics regulation
The same set of genes but with expression (structures) of those genes during different life stages
