chapter 4

Question 1

genes

Answer 1

• basic unit of inheritance
  
  • all humans share over 99% of their DNA with one another
  • slight variations in genes can cause changes in traits
  • genes can be activated by environmental events

Question 2

major issues: nature and nurture

Answer 2

• extent of inheritance/ environment influence
• a major debate for many years
• now largely recognized that neither extreme makes sense

Question 3

the extremes: purely nature

Answer 3

• focus on genetics
• prevailing “scientific” attitude in the U.S. and other countries in the early 1900s
• led to the rise of eugenics
  
  • morally wrong
  • misunderstanding of genetics
  • just bad science

Question 4

the extremes: purely nurture

Answer 4

• focus on the environment
• promoted by various groups including:
  behaviorists (J.B. Watson)
  humanists (Abraham Maslow)
• still bad science
• can lead to social engineering

Question 5

behavioral genetics

Answer 5

• the study of the relationship between genetic variations and individual traits
• assumes both genes and environment matter
• different from molecular genetics - most traits studied are polygenic

Question 6

adoption studies

Answer 6

• require hundreds of families
• separate genes (biological parents) from environment (adoptive parents)
• examine if the child shares traits more closely with biological or adoptive parents

Question 7

twin studies

Answer 7

• require hundreds of twin pairs
• compare concordance rates of a trait for
  monozygotic twins -> 100% of their genes shared
  dizygotic twins -> fraternal, share about 50% of genes
• when identical twins are more alike, genetic influence is stronger

Question 8

identical twins reared apart

Answer 8

• Bouchard and colleagues (1990) studied 80 sets
• less similar than identical raised together, but more similar than fraternal
• some similarities due to uncontrolled variables other than genes (Joseph, 2001)

Question 9

shared environment

Answer 9

• factors common among siblings
  
  • no clear impact on personality

Question 10

non shared environment

Answer 10

• differences among siblings
  
  • slight differences in treatment may help magnify our differences

Question 11

Sandra Scarr

Answer 11

• passive gene X environment interaction
• evocative gene X environment interaction
• active gene X environment interaction

Question 12

Darwin

Answer 12

• species change over time
  
  • natural selection
    
    • survival of the fittest (fittest: ability to survive and reproduce)
    • environmental conditions determine fitness
    • genes of the fit are passed on

Question 13

evolutionary psychology

Answer 13

• focus on shared human traits
  
  • patterns across societies
  • patterns across time
    - evolutionary
    survival (sweet tooth)
• species - specific behaviors

Question 14

Infant attachment

Answer 14

• Geese - implanting
• Humans - attachment
  
  • bonds develop over the first 12 months, not at birth
    = fear of strangers
    = separation anxiety
• attachment hierarchies - multiple caregivers
• attachment behaviors
  crying
  signaling
  clinging

Question 15

Mating strategies

Answer 15

= males - “pairing widely”
= females - “pairing wisely”
- parental uncertainty
- mate choices
- males look for: attractiveness, fertility, chastity
- females look for: power, earning potential

Question 16

mate selection facts

Answer 16

• evolutionarily, beautiful is good
• symmetry
• women -> fertility
  waist-to-hip ratio
• men -> power
  shoulder-to-hip ratio