AP Psychology - Evolutionary Psychology

the zygote has ____ chromosomes

46 (23 pairs)

Discuss the interaction of heredity and the environment

Heredity and the environment interact to influence the expression of our genes. Although hereditarily, we may have genetic predispositions, the environment can help influence the expression of these genes to shape our traits. This concept is what epigeneticist study

evolutionary explanations for gender differences in sexuality and mating preferences

Men tend to have a recreational view of sexual activity; women tend to have a relational view. Evolutionary psychologists reason that men's attraction to multiple healthy, fertile-appearing partners increases their chances of spreading their genes widely and reproducing, which based on the principles of evolution, is their goal to help the human species survive for more generations. However, women actually nurse the babies and deliver them, which would lead them to search for mates who would be invested in the baby and the family long term to help increase the child's chances of survival.

heredity

Passing of traits from parents to offspring

anecdotal evidence

Personal stories about specific incidents and experiences.

gene

sequence of DNA that controls or partially controls physical characteristics

trait

A characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes.

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits

heterozygous

An organism that has two different alleles for a trait

homozygous

An organism that has two identical alleles for a trait

describe how behavior geneticists explain our individual differences

Behavior geneticists seek to explain genetic and environmental influences on our traits leading to our individual differences. They do this in part through studies of identical twins, fraternal twins, and adoptive families. Shared family environments have little effect on personality, which suggests a genetic predisposition. They describe our differences as the unique interactions between our genes and our environment to shape our personality.

Summarize the key criticisms of evolutionary psychology, and describe how evolutionary psychologists respond.

Critics argue that evolutionary psychologists start with an effect and work backward to an explanation, do not recognize social and cultural influences, and prevent people from taking responsibility for their sexual behavior. For example, some people think evolutionary psychology justifies misogyny and sexual abuse by arguing that it is part of a man's genetics rather than demand that he take accountability for his wrongful actions. Evolutionary psychologists respond that understanding our predispositions can help us overcome them. They also cite the value of testable predictions based on evolutionary principles, as well as how those principles can be applied to explain our behavior.

how do evolutionary psychologists use natural selection to explain behavior tendencies?

Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand how our traits and behavior tendencies are shaped by natural selection, as genetic variations increasing the odds of reproducing and surviving are most likely to be passed on to future generations due to the concept of natural selection. These variations can describe why we evolved to have certain behaviors such as blushing and disgust, to support our survival. Additionally, evolutionary psychologists use the idea of survival and reproduction to explain certain sexual and mating preferences.

compare and contrast evolutionary psychology and behavioral geneticists

Evolutionary psychology focuses on how universal patterns of behavior and cognitive processes have evolved over time. They believe that variations in cognition and behavior would make individuals more or less successful in reproducing and passing those genes on to their offspring. Evolutionary psychologists study a variety of psychological phenomena that may have evolved as adaptations, including fear response, food preferences, mate selection, and cooperative behaviors. On the other hand, behavioral geneticists study how individual differences arise in the present through the interaction of genes and the environment. They often use twin and adoption studies to research questions of interest.

Describe the biopsychosocial model

Individual development results from the interaction of biological, psychological, and social-cultural influences. Biological influences include our shared human genome, individual variations, prenatal environment, hormones, etc. Psychological influences include gene-environment interactions, the effect of early experiences on neural networks, personal beliefs, etc. Social-cultural influences include parental and peer influences, cultural traditions and values, and gender norms.

Identify the potential uses of molecular genetics research

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. This information can then be used to inform expecting parents about genes that can put their children at risk for disorders.

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.

genetic variation

The variety of different types of genes in a species or population.

The theory of evolution by natural selection requires variability of a given trait. Why is variability necessary and where does it come from?

Variability is necessary because it creates competitions between organisms and allows for natural selection to occur. If all individuals have the exact same traits, there will be no variability in their rate of survival and reproduction, and the environment will impact everybody the same. So, variability is necessary in order for evolution to occur because it allows for competition, which promotes certain traits over others. Variability can come from mutations and sexual reproduction.

phenylketonuria

a genetic disorder in which an essential digestive enzyme is missing, recessive

mutation

a sudden, permanent change in a gene.

dominant allele

allele whose phenotype will be expressed in an individual that possesses that allele

recessive allele

allele whose phenotype will be expressed only if an individual is homozygous for that allele

biopsychosocial approach

an integrated approach that incorporates biological, psychological, and social-cultural levels of analysis

range of reaction

asserts our genes set the boundaries within which we can operate, and our environment interacts with the genes to determine where in that range we will fall; reaction, genes set definite limits on potential, and environment determines how much of that potential is achieved.

Twin and adoption studies are used by ________

behavioral geneticists

twin studies

compare the likelihood that a given behavioral trait is shared among identical and fraternal twins

adoption studies

compare those rates among biologically related relatives and adopted relative

In order for natural selection to occur within a population there must be ______

competition and variability in genes

describe how disgust evolved

disgust evolved to protect us from disease, which can be supported by theories about evolution. We have evolved through natural selection to be better adapted to our environment, and our goal as an organism is to survive and reproduce. So, disgust evolved to protect us from disease, since disease can threaten our survival.

how does diversity play a role in natural selection?

diversity in genes and associated traits allows some individuals to perform slightly better than others when faced with environmental change. This creates a distinct advantage for individuals best suited for their environments in terms of successful reproduction and genetic transmission, so the traits in more successful individuals will become more common in the population due to the process of natural selection.

in fraternal twin studies where twins are raised in the same environment, personality similarities "must" be _______

environmental

in identical twin studies where twins are raised in different environments, personality differences "must" be _______

environmental

in fraternal twin studies where twins are raised in the same environment, personality differences "must" be _______

genetic

in identical twin studies where twins are raised in different environments, personality similarities "must" be _______

genetic

genotype

genetic makeup of an individual

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

helix-shaped molecule made of nucleotide base pairs, which contains the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

How does heritability relate to individuals and groups?

heritability explores the percentage of variability among groups, not individuals attributed to genes. It cannot be used to tell an individual how much of their characteristics are inherited or how much is determined by their environment. Also, individual differences do not necessarily imply heritable group differences.

Critics of evolutionary psychology are most likely to suggest that it underestimates the

impact of cultural expectations on human sexual behavior

phenotype

individual's inherited physical characteristics, which are a combination of genetic and environmental influences

describe how blushing evolved

it is a part of the sympathetic nervous system, and there are a couple theories as to why it evolved. One theory is that it evolved to show our apology and empathy when we mess up to try to de-escalate situations, since disagreements can lead to violence and violence can threaten survival.

polygenic

multiple genes affecting a given trait

nature vs. nurture

name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior

allele

specific version of a gene

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection

states that organisms that are better suited for their environments will survive and reproduce compared to those that are poorly suited for their environments

epigenetics

study of gene-environment interactions, such as how the same genotype leads to different phenotypes

evolutionary psychology

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

molecular genetics

the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes. pairs. In each chromosome, sequences of DNA make up genes

identical twins

twins that develop from the same sperm and egg; always same sex

fraternal twins

twins who develop from two different eggs fertilized by different sperm, so their genetic material varies the same as in non-twin siblings

genetic environmental correlation

view of gene-environment interaction that asserts our genes affect our environment, and our environment influences the expression of our genes