BECOMING HUMAN: Nature vs. nurture

Explain the difference between dominant and recessive genes, and provide an example of each one.

A dominant gene is expressed each time it is present in a person, whereas a recessive gene is only expressed when it is paired with another recessive gene. For example, dimples are dominant and attached earlobes are recessive.

Which of the following statements is not true about genes?

A. Genes consist of hormones that regulate bodily functions.

The different forms of a gene are called __________.

A. alleles

Charles Darwin developed the theory of __________.

A. natural selection

All of the following are environmental influences except ____________.

B. genes

Nature refers to __________, while nurture refers to __________.

B. heredity . . . environment

Researchers use all of the following to study the impact of heredity on behavior except __________ studies.

B. peer

Susan has made some friends at her new high school who offer her cigarettes during their lunch break. She does not want to smoke but does so in order to fit in. Susan is most likely being influenced by __________.

B. peer pressure

A developmental psychologist would be interested in studying __________.

B. psychological changes that occur during adolescence

The quality of education one receives refers to the __________.

B. type of education one receives

What does Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection state about traits?

D. Traits that provide a survival or reproductive advantage are more likely to be passed on to future generations.

Types of media that can influence one's social development include all of the following except __________.

D. traditions

Environmental influences begin at birth and continue throughout life.

F

People from the same family share the same genetic code.

F

Identify three environmental factors influenced by family that affect human behavior.

Family influences human development through nutrition, traditions, morals, beliefs, or religion. Families may hand down their nutritional practices to their children. Nutrition is important because it will determine how healthy a person is and how that person's body will develop. Traditions and religion may influence how a person behaves, and a person's morals and beliefs, which is taught to them by their parents, may determine how they will treat others.

Define chromosome, DNA, and gene. Describe their relationship.

Humans have 46 chromosomes in each cell: 23 from the mother and 23 from the father. Chromosomes are the threadlike structures that are made of DNA, a complex molecule that contains genetic information. Genes are small segments of DNA that serve as the biochemical units of heredity. Like choromosomes, they operate in pairs, and these pairs can affect a particular process or personal characteristics.

If the ability to roll one's tongue is dominant (R) and the inability to roll one's tongue is recessive (r), what are the possible genotypes for someone who can roll their tongue?

RR and Rr

Developmental psychology is the field that primarily studies how humans grow and develop.

T

Research has shown that men are more likely than women to develop Parkinson's if they are exposed to some environmental factors like pesticides and industrial chemicals.

T

The Human Genome Project was an international project aimed at mapping and sequencing all of the genes in human DNA.

T

Summarize the nature versus nurture debate, and explain how contemporary theorists view this debate.

The nature versus nurture debate has been a controversy in the field of psychology for decades. Historically, theorists have argued whether nature or nurture influences development. Most theorists today agree that human behavior is a combination of both nature and nurture.

__________ psychologists study how evolution may influence animal and human behavior.

C. Evolutionary

__________ refers to the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce, whereas __________ is any inherited characteristic that increases one's chance of survival.

C. Fitness . . . adaptation

The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce refers to __________.

C. fitness

The majority of human traits are polygenic, which means they are __________.

C. influenced by multiple genes

If having dimples is dominant (D) and not having dimples is recessive (d), which of the following correctly describes the phenotypes in the table?

C. three of the offspring have dimples and one does not have dimples