lec1

Question 1

behavior

Answer 1

something living organism DOES

• something whole organisms do (not parts or organs)

Question 2

genes

Answer 2

distinct physical units of inheritance

• sequence of dna (coding regions, etc. functional sequences)

Question 3

genetics

Answer 3

physical nature of genes

Question 4

what is a spandrel (both definitions)

Answer 4

sprandel - physical space between arch and another arche (within rectangular space)

bio version → phenotype produced as the bi product of evolution of other characteristics rather than as a direct result of natural selection

Question 5

behavioral repertoire

Answer 5

set of behaviors characteristic either of an entire species or a single member of a species

• each species has a unique behavioral repertoire

Question 6

origin of behavior genetics; gregor mendel

Answer 6

discrete units which are passed down

Question 7

origin of behavior genetics; charles darwin

Answer 7

only successful traits get passed

Question 8

francis galton

Answer 8

founder of eugenics, fingerprint analysis, twin studies, behavioral genetics, biometry

• physical + behavioral traits → determined by hereditary
• expand darwin to cognitive aspects such as intelligence
• heredity genius → first human behavioral genetic investigation

Question 9

eugenics movement

Answer 9

promote genetic improvement in population by maintaining to can and cannot reproduce

• ‘highly bred human race’
• strong support from social elites

sexual sterilization of people with undesirable traits (~3000 forced sterilization)

trait improvement (master race) via systemic racial genocide

Question 10

nature vs nurture (galton and watson)

Answer 10

galton → nature dominates nurture

watson → nurture over nature, take dozen healthy infants and mold them into whatever I want

Question 11

pavlov and skinner (behaviors are learned)

Answer 11

pavlov → classical conditioning

• quantitative behavior
• condition a response to a stimulus

skinner → operant conditioning

• punishment and reinforced behaviors

Question 12

but some behaviors are innate (lorenz, frich, tinbergen)

Answer 12

ethology - study of non human behaviors

behavior imprinting - learned behavior independent of consequences (duckies following mommy)

fixed action patterns - instinctive behavior (mating dances)

Question 13

genetic predisposition

Answer 13

genes or combination of genes that produce specific traits under specific environmental factors / conditions e.g. depression (gene susceptibility)

Question 14

point mutation (silent, nonsense, missense)

Answer 14

change in one nucleotide
silent = no change in codon, nonsense = stop, missense = change in amino acid

Question 15

frameshift mutation

Answer 15

changes amino acid sequence by a lot, addition or deletion of 1 or 2 nucleotides in sequence

Question 16

monoamine oxidase a + antisocial behavior

Answer 16

• Gene on X chromosome controls MAOA (high versus low levels due to variable repeats)
• Those carrying MAOA-L allele and exposed to high maltreatment showed more anti-social behaviour.
• No direct effect of MAOA! This is an example of a Gene x Environment interaction.

Question 17

psychiatric disorders

Answer 17

definition - clinical significant disturbance in cognition, functionality, behavior

there are no biomarkers for mental illness

psychiatric disorders are based on subjective measures, not objective (etiology)

• most are idiopathic (unknown origin

Question 18

genetic architecture

Answer 18

refers to the overall composition of the implicated risk variants in the
population—the total number of variants and, for each, the frequencies in those afflicted and in the general population and the degree of risk conferred.