Chapter 3 Flashcards
(21 cards)
a statistical estimate of the proportion of the total variance that is attributable to genetic difference among individuals within a group
heritability
according to many psycholinguists, and innate mental module that allows young children to develop language if they are exposed to an adequate sampling of conversation
language acquisition device
the study of changes in gene expression due to the mechanisms other than structural changes in DNA
Epigenetic
the full set of genes in each cell of an organism (with the exception of sperm and egg cell)
genome
non-random errors in grammar that show the child has grasped a grammatical rule
over-regularization
a segment of DNA that varies among individuals has a known location of a chromosome and can fully function as a genetic landmark for a gene involved in a physical or mental condition
genetic marker
mathematical models of the brain that “learn” by adjusting the connections among hypothetical neurons in responses in incoming data
computer neural networks
the functional units of heredity, they are composed of DNA and specify the structure of proteins
genes
a field of psychology emphasizing evolutionary mechanisms that may help explain human commonalities in cognition development, emotion, social practices, and other areas of behaviour
evolutionary psychology
an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with the genetics bases of individual differences in behaviour and personality
behavioural genetics
a collection of specialized and independent sections of the brain, developed to handle specific survival problems such as the need to locate food or find a mate
mental modules
the chromosomal molecule that transfers genetic characteristics by way of coding instructions for the structure of proteins
DNA
within every cell rod-shaped structures that carry out the genes.
chromosomes
twins that develop from two separate sperm they are no more alike genetically than any other pair of siblings
fraternal twins (dizygotic)
twins that develop from a fertilized egg that divides into two parts that develop into separate embryos
identical twins (monozygotic)
the notion that the wealthy and successful are more reproductively fit than other people
social darwinism
the interdisciplinary field that emphasizes evolutionary explanations of social behaviour in animals including human behaviour
sociobiology
a change in gene frequencies within a population over many generations, a mechanism by which genetically influenced characteristics of a population may change
evolution
changes in gene , sometimes due to an error in the copying of the original DNA sequence during the division of the cells that produce sperm and egg
mutation
the evolutionary process in which individuals with genetically influenced traits are adaptive to the particular environment and tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than do other individuals, as a result, their traits become more common in the population
natural selection
a system that combines meaninless elements such as the sounds or gestures to form structural utterances that convey meaning
language.
