AP Psychology (So far Module 13-14)

Human genome (DNA) researchers have discovered that

Human genes are mostly the same, regardless of race

Which of the following will be the most alike?

Identical twins raised in the same environment

Which of the following is an example of gene-environment interaction?

Ted gets diabetes, which runs in his family, because he eats too much sugary food.

Which of the following is most likely to be a function of the left hemisphere?

speech

A split-brain patient has a picture of a dog flashed to his right hemisphere and a cat to his left hemisphere. Which of the following will he be able to verbalize?

that he saw a cat

A split-brain patient has a picture of a dog flashed to his right hemisphere and a cat to his left hemisphere. He will be able to identify the

cat using his right hand

The dual-processing model refers to which of the following ideas?

incoming information is processed by both conscious and unconscious tracks

Provide two examples of how nature and nurture interact to affect an individual's physical health.

-Because nature refers to the contributions of heredity, a person may be predisposed to develop (or not) diabetes or heart disease. -Because nurture refers to the contributions of environment and the way individuals are raised, an individual may eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly, activities that will make them healthy, which may counteract their heredity.

What is the dual processing being revealed by today's cognitive neuroscience?

-Cognitive neuroscientists and others studying the brain mechanisms underlying consciousness and cognition have discovered that the mind processes information on two separate tracks, one operating at an explicit, conscious level and the other at an implicit, unconscious level. This dual processing affects our perception, memory, attitudes, and other cognitions. -While unconscious parallel processing is faster than conscious sequential processing, both are essential: Parallel processing enables us to take care of routine business, while sequential processing provides the focus we need to solve new problems.

What are chromosomes, DNA, genes, and the human genome? How do behavior geneticists explain our individual differences?

-Genes are the biochemical units of heredity that make up chromosomes, the threadlike coils of DNA. -When genes are "turned on" (expressed), they provide the code for creating the proteins that form our body's building blocks. -Most human traits are influenced by many genes acting together. -Behavior geneticists seek to quantify genetic and environmental influences on our traits. Most of our differing traits are influenced by not one gene, but many, and by the interaction of our individual environments with these genetic predispositions.

What is heritability, and how does it relate to individuals and groups?

-Heritability describes the extent to which variation among members of a group can be attributed to genes. -Heritable individual differences (in traits such as height or intelligence) do not necessarily imply heritable group differences. Genes mostly explain why some people are taller than others, but not why people are taller today than they were a century ago.

Brain lateralization means that each hemisphere has its own functions. Give an example of both a left hemisphere and a right hemisphere function. Then explain how the two hemispheres communicate with one another.

-Left hemisphere functions include language, math, and logic. -Right hemisphere functions include spatial relationships, facial recognition, and patterns. -The corpus callosum carries information back and forth between the two hemispheres.

Explain the difference between parallel and sequential processing and provide an example of how each is involved in your attention during your AP® Psychology course.

-Parallel processing is unconscious processing of many aspects of a problem simultaneously and is generally used to process well-learned information or to solve easy problems. -Sequential processing is the conscious processing of one aspect of a problem at a time and is generally used to process new information or to solve difficult problems. -In the AP Psychology course, I would use parallel processing to understand and comprehend simpler concepts such as the neuron and its functions. I would use sequential processing to understand more difficult concepts or when applying concepts such as the neuron to other more complex concepts in order to understand these harder concepts better.

What do split brains reveal about the functions of our two brain hemispheres?

-Split-brain research (experiments on people with a severed corpus callosum) has confirmed that in most people, the left hemisphere is the more verbal and the right hemisphere excels in visual perception and the recognition of emotion. -Studies of healthy people with intact brains confirm that each hemisphere makes unique contributions to the integrated functioning of the brain.

How do twin and adoption studies help us understand the effects and interactions of nature and nurture?

-Studies of identical (monozygotic) twins, fraternal (dizygotic) twins, and adoptive families allow researchers to consider the effects of shared environment and shared genes, which sheds light on how nature and nurture influence our traits. -Shared family environments have little effect on personality, and the stability of personality suggests a genetic predisposition.

What does it mean to say that the heritability of height is 90 percent? What does that tell us about the contribution of genetics to any one person's height?

1. It means that 90% of height variation among members of an individual's community can be attributed to genes. 2. This does not mean that genetics influence 90% of an individual's height-heritability just refers to how much of a difference among people is due to genes.

Patients with a split brain have had which structure in their brain severed?

Corpus callosum

Generally speaking, heritability is the extent to which

Differences among people are accounted for by genes

You are aware that a dog is viciously barking at you, but you are not aware of the type of dog. Later, you are able to describe the type and color of the dog. This ability to process information without conscious awareness best exemplifies which of the following?

Dual processing

Epigenetics might best explain which of the following?

Lisa and Eloisa are identical twins; only one develops schizophrenia.

-How is molecular genetics research changing our understanding of the effects of nature and nurture?

Our genetic predispositions and our surrounding environments interact. Environments can trigger gene activity, and genetically influenced traits can evoke responses from others. -Molecular geneticists study the molecular structure and function of genes, including those that affect behavior. -Psychologists and molecular geneticists are cooperating to identify specific genes—or more often, teams of genes—that put people at risk for disorders. -The field of epigenetics studies the influences on gene expression that occur without changes in DNA.