Flashcards: Nature & Nurture of Behavior
All 38 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 chromosomes | threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes |
| DNA | a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes; stands for deoxyribonucleic acid |
| genes | the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein |
| genome | the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of the genetic material in its chromosomes |
| Dmitry Belyaev | Russian geneticist who, through artificial selection, bred tame foxes |
| natural selection | the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likley be passed on to succeeding generations |
| mutation | a random error in gene replication that leads to a change in the sequence of nucleotides; the source of all genetic diversity |
| nucleotides | the "letters" of the DNA alphabet; they appear in pairs on the DNA molecule |
| evolutionary psychology | the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection. Natural selection has favored genes that designed both behavioral tendencies and information-processing systems that solved adaptive problems faced by our ancestors, thus contributing to the survival and spread of their genes |
| gender | in psychology, the characteristics, whether biologically or socially influenced, by which people define male and female |
| behavior genetics | the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior |
| environment | every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us |
| identical twins | also known as monozygotic (MZ) 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 eggs; dizygotic (DZ) twins. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment |
| Thomas Bouchard | U of M researcher who studied identical twins separated at birth |
| adoption studies | studies that compare the traits of adopted children to both their biological and adoptive parents (to determine the relative influence of environment & genetics) |
| temperament | a person's characteristic emotional reactivity & intensity |
| heritability | the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. May vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied. |
| epigentics | the study of how the environment can alter gene expression or function |
| molecular genetics | subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes |
| placental placement | prenatal environmental factor that may differentially impact the development of even identical twins |
| culture | the enduring behavior, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. |
| norms | an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior; they prescribe "proper" behavior. Includes folkways, mores, and laws |
| folkways | norms that govern everyday behaviors (e.g hallway behavior, elevator behavior) |
| mores | norms that have moral implications; violating them significantly upsets others in the culture |
| personal space | the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies |
| memes | self-replicating ideas, fashions, and innovations passed from person to person |
| X chromosome | sex chromosome found in both men and women; females have two of them, males have one |
| Y chromosome | sex chromosome found only in males |
| testosterone | most important of the male sex hormones; both males and females have it, but additional amounts of it in males stimulates growth of male reproductive anatomy in a fetus and development of male characteristics during puberty |
| role | set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave |
| gender role | set of expected behaviors for males and females |
| gender identity | one's sense of being male or female |
| gender-typing | the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role |
| social learning theory | the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished |
| gender schema theory | the theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly |
| Charles Darwin | English natural scientist who formulated a theory of evolution by natural selection |
| Jerome Kagan | researcher who conducted longitudinal studies of temperament |
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