Chapter 3 Flashcards
The Evolving Mind: Nature and Nurture Intertwined (84 cards)
1
Q
adaptation
A
a change because of natural selection
2
Q
alleles
A
one of several versions of a gene
3
Q
altruism
A
behaviour on behalf of another that fails to benefit or harms the individual performing it
4
Q
behavioural genetics
A
the scientific field that attempts to identify and understand links between genetics and behaviour
5
Q
candidate gene
A
a gene that has a greater impact on a trait of interest than other genes
6
Q
concordance rates
A
the statistical probability that a trait in one person will be shared by another
7
Q
dominant
A
a feature of an allele that determines a phenotype in either the homozygous (dominant) or the heterozygous condition
8
Q
epigenetic
A
the study of gene-environment interactions in the production of phenotypes
9
Q
evolution
A
descent with modification from a common ancestor
10
Q
fitness
A
the ability of one genotype to reproduce more successfully relative to other genotypes
11
Q
gene
A
a small segment of DNA located in a particular place on a chromosome that produces a protein
12
Q
gene expression
A
the process in which genetic instructions are converted into a feature of a living cell
13
Q
genetic drift
A
a change in a population’s genes from one generation to the next because of chance or accident
14
Q
genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
A
a scan of complete sets of DNA from many participants, which is performed to look for variations associated with a particular phenotype, condition, or disease
15
Q
genotype
A
an individual’s profile of alleles
16
Q
heritability
A
the statistical likelihood that variations observed in a population are because of genetics
17
Q
heterozygous
A
having two different alleles for a gene
18
Q
homozygous
A
having two of the same alleles for a gene
19
Q
migration
A
movement to a new location
20
Q
mutation
A
an error that occurs when DNA is replicated
21
Q
natural selection
A
the process by which survival and reproductive pressures act to change the frequency of alleles in subsequent generations
22
Q
nature
A
the contributions of heredity (genetic makeup) to our physical structure and behaviours
23
Q
nurture
A
the contributions of environmental factors and experience to our physical structure and behaviours
24
Q
phenotype
A
an observable characteristic
25
recessive
a feature of an allele that produces a phenotype only in the homozygous (recessive) condition
26
reciprocal altruism
help that you provide for another person when you expect the person to return the favour in the future
27
relatedness
the probability that two people share the same allele from a common ancestor
28
sexual selection
the development of traits that help an individual compete for mates
29
the first person to use the phrase "nature vs. nurture"; Darwin's cousin
Francis Galton (1869)
30
the two types of cells that don't contain two complete copies of the human genome
* red blood cells
* germ-line cells (sperm or eggs)
31
the number of chromosome pairs in a normal human
23 chromosomal pairs
32
the amount of combinations of chromsomes a single human's eggs or sperm can produce
223 (8,388,608)
33
relatedness of families
* 0.50 with parents
* 0.50 with siblings
* 0.25 with nieces or nephews
34
amount of human chromosome pairs that are perfectly matched
22 pairs, excluding the X and Y chromosomes
35
intersex
individuals who are born with sex characteristics (genitals, gonads, chromosome patterns) that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies
36
sex-linked characteristics
found only on the X or Y chromosome (e.g. hemophilia - the failure to clot blood - is found only on the X chromosome)
37
If genes are totally responsible for all phenotypical differences among individuals, heratibility is...
1.0
38
range of heritability for most human traits
0.30-0.60
39
Heritability refers to ___________, never ___________.
populations, individuals
40
If the environment is held constant, heritability is...
high
41
Researchers question the use of adoption studies for assessing the relative influences of genetics and environment on development due to...
the influence of the environment on heritability; adoptive parents rarely represent as much diversity as the group of biological parents whose children they adopt
42
Twin studies are useful in establishing...
concordance rates
43
Concordance rates are useful because...
they can provide estimates of the heritability of a psychological disorder
44
Humans share 100% of their _____, not _______.
genes, alleles
45
how genes encode for behaviours
they don't, they encode for proteins
46
Different phenotypes can result from the same genotype due to...
interactions between the organism and its environment
47
Genes can be turned on/off by...
* internal signals (hormones, neurochemicals)
* external signals (diet, toxins)
48
the stage of life that experiences the highest rate of epigenetic change
fetus
49
factors known to produce epigenetic change
* nutrition
* disease-causing organisms
* drugs
* stress
* environmental toxins
50
four processes that produce lasting (but reversible) changes in gene expression
* RNA interference
* RNA editing
* histone modification
* DNA methylation
51
histones
protein structures around which your DNA is wound
52
the effect of histone modification
the expression of nearby segments of DNA can become more or less likely
53
DNA methylation
the addition of a methyl group to a DNA molecule
54
the effect of DNA methylation
genes turn off
55
three psychological disorders that hundreds of separate genes (or DNA methylation and unusual histone modifications) appear to be linked to
* schizophrenia
* autism spectrum disorder
* bipolar disorder
56
the combination of these two things provide scientists with powerful hypotheses about the progression of species over time
Mendelian genetics and Darwinian evolution
57
four evolutionary processes
* mutation
* migration
* genetic drift
* natural selection
58
number of mutations in an average human baby
about 130 new mutations
59
Natural selection favours the organism with the highest degree of...
fitness
60
this describes the interaction between characteristics and the environment in which they exist
fitness
61
forms of adaptations
behaviours or anatomical features
62
how adaptations are passed on
any adaptation that is good enough to contribute to the fitness of an organism will carry forward into future generations
63
Adaptations are compromises between...
costs and benefits
64
hominin
species that walk on two feet, have large brains, and are assumed to be related to modern humans
65
the evolution of brain size within hominins
1. **400 cm3** in australopithecines
2. **700 cm3** in *Homo erectus*
3. **1,400 cm3** in *Homo sapiens*
66
Certain "hotspots" within the cerebral cortex act as...
communication hubs; they play a central role in supramodal cognition (the ability to integrate information from across the brain in a flexible, task-dependent manner)
67
four creatures with large brains and considerable intelligence
* hominins
* primates
* elephants
* whales
68
three ecological challenges faced by hominins
* finding food
* avoiding predators
* navigating through territories
69
the major factor distinguishing human intelligence from intelligence of other species
the richness and complexity of the social behaviour supported by the human brain
70
the leading factor to the evolution of the human brain
**social complexity;** the ability to:
* distinguishing friend and foe
* imitating the behaviour of others
* using language to communicate
* recognizing and anticipating the emotions, thoughts, and behaviours if others
* maintaing relationships
* cooperating with others
71
the evolutionary psychology perspective towards the evolution of behaviour
current behaviour exists because it provides some advantage in survival and reproduction
72
the psychological approach of which evolutionary psychology was descended
functionalism
73
two benefits of belonging to a social group
protection and assistance
74
two drawbacks to being social
competition for food and mates, and exposure to contagious illnesses
75
four types of social interactions
* **cooperative:** two individuals help one another
* **selfish:** one individual fends for self
* **spiteful:** both individuals lose
* **altruistic:** one individual self-sacrifices to benefit the other
76
why altruism proves evolution
Despite altruism resulting in the destruction of the individual, sacrifices to a close blood relative can lead to an increased likelihood that your alleles will be passed along to subsequent generations.
77
females' investment in children
* bears the most costs of reproduction (i.e. carrying the fetus until burth, nurturing the baby until adulthood)
* faces sharper limitations on the number of children physically able to produce
* the children that are produced must be as healthy and well-nurtured as possible, due to the inability to produce many
* must choose a father who will pass along healthy genes, and also participate in the raising of children
78
males' investment in children
* lower investment of time and resources in reproduction
* abandoning your offspring puts their survival at risk
* genes are less likely to be passed on, if children perish from lack of care or protection
79
the influence of testosterone-linked facial features on women
men with facial features correlated with high testosterone (i.e. strong brow ridge, square chin) are viewed as less likely to participate in childbearing, than men with facial features correlated with lower testosterone
80
the two ways in which sexual selection might occur
* **intrasexual selection:** members of one sex compete with one another for access to the other sex (e.g. male deer engage in fights to determine which males are allowed to mate)
* **intersexual selection:** characteristics of one sex that attract the other might become sexaully selected (e.g. a male peacock's tail attracts mates)
81
two human traits that evolutionary psychologists believe might have been subjected to sexual selection
humour and vocabulary
82
a human trait that does not attract females
taking unnecessary risks
83
culture
socially transmitted knowledge, practices, values, and goals that are shared by groups of people
84
what might have been the origin of patriarchal systems, in which men maintained control of resources and inheritances follow the male line
agriculture
