Chapter 3: Genes, Evolution, and Environment Flashcards
Behavioural Genetics
An interdisciplinary field of study concerned with genetic contributions to individual differences in behaviour and personality.
Chromosomes
Within every cell, rod-shaped structures that carry the genes.
DNA
(Deoxyribonucleic acid) the chromosomal molecule that transfers genetic characteristics by way of coded instructions for the structure of proteins.
Epigenetics
The study of stable changes in the expression of a particular gene that occur within changes in DNA base sequences.
Evolution
A change in gene frequencies within a population over many generations, which serves as a mechanism by which genetically influenced characteristics of a population may change.
Evolutionarily Psychology
A field of psychology emphasizing evolutionary mechanisms that may help explain human commonalties and social practices, perception, emotional responses, and other areas of behaviour.
Fraternal Twins
(Dizygotic) Twins that develop from two separate eggs fertilized by different sperm.
Genes
The functional units of hereditary; they are composed of DNA and specify the structure of proteins.
Genetic Markers
A segment of DNA that varies among individuals, has a known location on a chromosome, and can function as a genetic landmark for a gene involved in a physical or mental condition.
Genome
The full set of genes in each cell of an organism (with the exception of sperm and egg cells), together with noncoding DNA located outside the genes.
Heritability
Statistical estimate of the proportion of the total variance in some trait that is attributable genetic differences among individuals within a group.
Identical Twins
(Monozygotic) Twins that develop when a fertilized egg divides into two parts that develop into separate embryos.
Intelligence Quotient
(IQ) A measure of intelligence originally computed by dividing a person’s mental age by his or her chronological age and multiplying by 100 and now derived from norms provided for standardized intelligence tests.
Natural Selection
The evolutionary process in which individuals with genetically influenced traits that are adaptive in a particular environment tend to survive and to reproduce in greater numbers than do other individuals, resulting in their traits becoming more common in the population.
