Week 2 - Research Methods

Question 1

systematical study

Answer 1

Planning the study (asking testable research questions and deciding how to collect data), Examining the data (looking for patterns and deviations, examining evidence of reliability and validity), Inferring from the data (determining which statistical methods help draw inferences beyond the collected data), Drawing conclusions.

Question 2

Distributional Thinking

Answer 2

Data varies (values of a variable vary)
Analyzing the distribution (pattern of variation) of the variable often reveals insights.

Question 3

p-value

Answer 3

probability of observing a particular outcome in a sample if each outcome has the same chance of occurring. When the p-value is lower than 0.05 (random chance likely was not at play)

Question 4

nature-nurture debate

Answer 4

result of some aspects of our behaviours seeming to originate in our genetic makeup, while others seem to be the result of our upbringing or our own hard work (both environmental and genetic factors are acting as changing variables)

Question 5

Behavioural genetics

Answer 5

empirical science of how genes and environments work together to influence behaviour.

Question 6

twin studies

Answer 6

behaviours of monozygotic (MZ, 100% shared DNA) “identical” twins and dizygotic (DZ, 50% shared DNA) “fraternal” twins are compared to determine whether certain behaviours can be attributed to genetics (identical in MZ) or upbringing (identical in both MZ and DZ).

Question 7

quantitative genetics

Answer 7

scientific and mathematical methods for inferring genetic and environmental processes based on the degree of genetic and environmental similarity between organisms.
(adoption and twin studies)

Question 8

Adoption studies

Answer 8

behavioural genetic research methods involving the comparison of adopted children to their adoptive and biological parents.

Question 9

heritability coefficient

Answer 9

number, varying from 0 to 1, assigned by quantitative genetics to measure genetics’ influence on a trait.
(much higher in physical characteristics, such as eye and hair colour, blood type, and tendency to develop medical conditions such as cancer)`

Question 10

Epigenetics

Answer 10

process in which the DNA itself is modified by environmental events, with those genetic changes then being transmitted to children.