Chapter 4 - Genes, Evolution, and Behaviour

Question 1

An organism’s actions in response to some stimulus is?

Answer 1

Behaviour

Question 2

a change in heritable traits in a population over time is:

Answer 2

evolution

Question 3

natural selection is:

Answer 3

the process by which evolution occurs

Question 4

a basic unit of heredity is a:

Answer 4

gene

Question 5

what is heredity?

Answer 5

something that is passed on

Question 6

what are the four base nucleotides in DNA?

Answer 6

adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine

Question 7

the phosphate-deoxyribose chain is the ________ of DNA

Answer 7

backbone

Question 8

what is a genome?

Answer 8

every single strand of a person’s DNA, their complete set of genetic material.

Question 9

a chemical substance containing nucleotides is:

Answer 9

DNA

Question 10

what are chromosomes?

Answer 10

strands of DNA wound in a double-helix structure

Question 11

what is a genotype vs. phenotype?

Answer 11

• genotype: specific genetic makeup
• phenotype: expression of genes

Question 12

how many chromosomes are in somatic cells?

Answer 12

46 chromosomes, 23 pairs

Question 13

any differences in identical twins is because…

Answer 13

the DNA is read differently

Question 14

what does it mean for a trait to be dominant?

Answer 14

dominant genes are always expressed

Question 15

what does it mean for a trait to be recessive?

Answer 15

recessive genes are only expressed in the absence of dominant genes

Question 16

what does it mean to be homozygous (dominant vs. recessive)?

Answer 16

identical pairs of alleles for a given gene
- dominant: AA
- recessive: aa

Question 17

a person who has a combination of different alleles (Aa) is:

Answer 17

heterozygous

Question 18

when a number of gene pairs combine to create a single phenotypic trait, this is:

Answer 18

polygenic transmission

Question 19

lasting changes in gene function during development that are not caused by the genes themselves is:

Answer 19

epigenetics

Question 20

list the steps for recombinant gene procedures

Answer 20

1) use enzymes to cut DNA into pieces
2) combine with DNA of another organism
3) insert combined DNA into host cell

Question 21

what is the procedure where specific genes are altered so it cannot function and we observe the results?

Answer 21

gene knockout procedure

Question 22

what is the study of how genetic and environmental components lead to changes in behaviour?

Answer 22

behaviour genetics

Question 23

the amount of variation in a characteristic within a population that can be attributed to genetic differences is:

Answer 23

heritability

Question 24

what is the heritability coefficient?

Answer 24

estimation of how much of a characteristic is due to genetic factors (the number)

Question 25

the rate of co-occurrence of a characteristic among individuals is:

Answer 25

concordance rate

Question 26

how are adoption studies conducted?

Answer 26

1) start with a person who was adopted at a young age 2) compare some characteristics of that person with both biological and adoptive parents

Question 27

what does it mean to be monozygotic? dizygotic?

Answer 27

- monozygotic: identical twins - dizygotic: fraternal twins

Question 28

when discussing heredity of intelligence, how much do genes count for intelligence?

Answer 28

50-70%

Question 29

what is heredity of intelligence?

Answer 29

if intelligence was genetically determines, people with the same genes would have equal IQs

Question 30

what is the range of possible traits that a genetic code allows?

Answer 30

reaction range

Question 31

what affects where a person falls in the reaction range?

Answer 31

environment

Question 32

what three things are studied when looking at heredity of personality?

Answer 32

1) genetic contribution 2) shared family environment 3) unique individual experiences

Question 33

what four groups are being studied when looking at heredity of personality?

Answer 33

1) identical twins raised together 2) identical twins raised apart 3) fraternal twins raised together 4) fraternal twins raised apart

Question 34

what are the "big five" personality traits?

Answer 34

- openness - conscientiousness - extra/introversion - agreeableness - neuroticism (stability)

Question 35

what is the field of psychology that studies how behaviour and actions adapted to environmental demands?

Answer 35

evolutionary psychology

Question 36

a slow change in the genes of a population over time where changes occur due to heritable genetic mutations is:

Answer 36

the theory of evolution

Question 37

true or false: evolution of behaviour is impacted by culture

Answer 37

true

Question 38

what about the human brain has evolved to be associated with attention, memory, thought, and language?

Answer 38

higher mental processes, the four lobes

Question 39

what are the two types of adaptation?

Answer 39

broad and domain-specific

Question 40

the ability to acquire language, responsiveness to human faces, group-seeking behaviour, and some universal emotions are all:

Answer 40

social adaptations in humans

Question 41

the time, effort, energy, and risk associated with caring for each offspring is:

Answer 41

parental investment

Question 42

do humans have high or low parental investment?

Answer 42

high

Question 43

do two parents have to invest equally in their offspring?

Answer 43

no

Question 44

the sex with the higher _______ will be more picky in selecting a mate

Answer 44

parental investment

Question 45

what does it mean to be monogamous?

Answer 45

- two parents have equal investment - little difference in appearance

Question 46

why do monogamous relationships arise?

Answer 46

because one parent could not raise the offspring alone

Question 47

what term describes a relationship with unequal parent contributions?

Answer 47

polygamous

Question 48

what is the mating system there is one female and many males?

Answer 48

polandry

Question 49

what is the mating system where there is one male and many females?

Answer 49

polygny

Question 50

what is the mating system where there are many males and many females?

Answer 50

polgynandry

Question 51

what is co-operation?

Answer 51

one individual helps another and gains some advantage

Question 52

what is altruism?

Answer 52

one individual helps another but gets nothing in return

Question 53

which theory suggests that individuals will help their family members survive?

Answer 53

kin selection theory

Question 54

what theory suggests that if you help someone now, they will help you later?

Answer 54

reciprocal altruism theory

Question 55

what is the problem with reciprocal altruism theory?

Answer 55

people don't often ignore those who have ignored them

Question 56

what are some causes for aggression in animals?

Answer 56

- protecting one's mate, young, food, and/or territory - taking someone else's resources - gain access to new resources

Question 57

in social animals, individuals will be more _______ towards those deemed as "other"

Answer 57

aggressive

Question 58

what are dominance hierarchies?

Answer 58

animals fight to establish a set of "rank"

Question 59

what is the false idea that the effects of genes are concrete and unchangable?

Answer 59

genetic determination

Question 60

what is the false idea that those at the top of a social hierarchy are the "best"

Answer 60

social darwinism

Question 61

what does it mean to "defend the status quo"? is this true or accurate to evolution?

Answer 61

if a trait came from evolution it must be good. this is not tru