| Term | Definition |
|---|
| environment | evey nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us |
| behavior genetics | the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior |
| chromosomes | threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain genes |
| DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | a complex molecule containing genetic information that makes up the chromosomes |
| genes | the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capabole of synthesizing a protein |
| genome | the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes |
| identical twins | twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms |
| fraternal twins | twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment |
| temperament | a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity |
| heritability | the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied |
| interaction | the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity). |
| molecular genetics | the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes. |
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