Gen Psych Chapter 3

Joey, Janie, and Julie are members of the Tuff Darts, a local youth organization. Bobby, Betty, and Bernie are members of the Wild Bunch, a rival group. On average, the Tuff Darts are smarter than the Wild Bunch. However, Janie is smarter than Julie, and Bobby is smarter than either of them. It's therefore difficult to predict which group will excel at the upcoming Intellectual Decathlon. What general principle does this scenario illustrate?

Between-group differences and within-group differences both need to be taken into account when explaining behavior

After reading this chapter, what's the correct conclusion to reach regarding the effects of heredity and the environment to shaping a human being? "nature and nurture" "nature or nurture" "nature before nurture" "nature versus nurture"

"Nature and nurture"

The four bases within each gene are identified by the letters: A - T - C - G A - X - G - D A - E - I - O T - C - B - Y

A-T-C-G

Chromosomes consist of threadlike strands of: DNA molecules RNA molecules CNA molecules ribovax

DNA molecules

Genetics and the environment interact to produce behavior, although the environment always has a larger impact than genetics genetics always has a larger impact than the environment for some individuals one source explains behavior more completely than the other source determining the relative contributions of each source can sometimes be difficult

Determining the relative contributions of each source can sometimes be difficult

What do genetic mutations produce? different forms of genes brought about by some type of alteration abrupt changes in personality that are visible at a behavioral level damaged genes that always lead to illness or death inherited defects that will continue to be passed along genetic lines

Different forms of genes brought about by some type of alteration

Thinking critically about between-group and within-group differences in intelligence, and the hereditary and environmental influences that contribute to those differences, would lead to which conclusion? Intelligence test differences among cultural, ethnic, or national groups only reflect biases in the way the intelligence tests are constructed and administered. Intelligence is a result of a person's environment because genetic material is roughly the same across most groups of humans. Intelligence test differences among cultural, ethnic, or national groups are not permanent, genetically determined, or evidence of any group's innate superiority. Intelligence tests measure innate abilities; therefore, any differences between groups must reflect differences in genetic inheritance between those groups.

Intelligence test differences among cultural, ethnic, or national groups are not permanent, genetically determined, or evidence of any groups innate superiority

In many societies men are expected to be promiscuous and aggressive, whereas women are thought to be choosy, chaste, and coy. How do these conceptions cloud our understanding of sex differences in dating and mating? Genetic constraints are different for women and men. There's no evolutionary reason women and men should act in these ways. Most women and men are equally promiscuous in the majority of societies. Stereotypes and expectations for behavior are not always the same as actual behavior.

Stereotypes and expectations for behavior are not always the same as actual behavior

What is the Fred Flintstone problem in interpreting the evolutionary perspective on human mating strategies?

Strategies that may have been adaptive during the pleistocene age may have little relevance to humans living in a modern era

What is an example of an innate reflex that infants are born with, and that contributes to survival? cooing pointing crawling sucking

Sucking

What does a "genetic leash" refer to?

The argument that genetic influences on behavior place a limit on the influence of culture

What percent of genes are shared in common by monozygotic twins? 50 percent 100 percent 33 percent 25 percent

100 percent

Human babies can seem downright annoying at times. They grab at whatever is in reach, they bang on tables and chairs, and they're fascinated by shaking rattles or squeaking toys. Why are these behaviors to be expected, and in fact why are they adaptive? Babies aren't socialized to the rules and expectations of the societies in which they live; therefore, these actions allow parents to correct unwanted behaviors. Self-expression is a fundamental human drive, possibly genetic, so babies are just enacting a preprogrammed sequence of behaviors. A desire to explore and manipulate objects is an innate human characteristic that contributes to mastering one's environment. These behaviors signal distress to a caregiver, so that needy infants can stay alive.

A desire to explore and manipulate objects is an innate human characteristic that contributes to mastering one's environment

Which of the following is not a well-documented innate human characteristic? a preference for neutral colors a desire for exploration an impulse to play an interest in novelty

A preference of neutral colors

How does the study of adopted children (and their biological and adoptive parents) shed light on heritability? Adopted children share genetics (but not environment) in common with their biological parents but share environment (but not genetics) in common with their adoptive parents. Adopted children tend to be adopted by parents who share the same values, goals, and interests as the children; therefore, the similarity between parents and child can be estimated. Adopted children may or may not share both genetics and environment in common with their adoptive parents; by finding these special cases researchers can estimate heritability. Adopted children can be located easily through adoption services, so their biological lineage is easier to determine, which in turn allows a computation of heritability.

Adopted children share genetics (but not environment) in common with their biological parents, but share environment (but not genetics) in common with their adoptive parents.

Carlos is pigeon-toed (his feet face inward rather than straight ahead). "It's great!" he argues. "I can shimmy down narrow stadium rows to get to my seat, and no one has to get up. My pigeon-toed feet sure are adaptive." Despite his optimism, why is Carlos misinformed about evolutionary psychology and the principles of inheritance? Carlos's misshapen legs are the result of sleeping in peculiar positions as an infant rather than the product of heredity. Carlos assumes that his personal evolution has ended; in reality, people continue to change and grow throughout the lifespan. Carlos assumes that if a trait exists, it must therefore be adaptive. Carlos isn't misinformed; traits wouldn't exist in individuals if they weren't functional.

Carlos assumes that if a trait exists, it must therefore be adaptive

Epigenetics is an exiting new field of study that has vast implications for our understanding of how genetic information influences behavior. What is the process of epigenetics like? Chemical molecules that regulate the activity of genes act like software that instructs genetic hardware to become active or inactive. "Epigenes" are a synonym for "mutations," and mutations cause genetic material to transform for a limited time and for a limited purpose. Genetic material is like a software program that needs an environmental setting to serve as a hardware platform; when the two combine, epigenesis takes place. Segments of DNA get clipped from ribostatin molecules, and those segments get recombined to produce new genetic material.

Chemical molecules that regulate the activity of genes act like software that instructs genetic hardware to become active or inactive

What conclusion can we reach about environmental hindrances to mental ability, such as poor prenatal care, exposure to toxins, or stressful family circumstances? Children exposed to these environmental hindrances can have lower IQ scores, compared to children raised in enriched environments. Environmental hindrances have less of an impact on children with strong inherited mental agility compared to children with weaker genetic material. Environmental hindrances affect intellectual development between the ages of birth and five years, but after that deprived children rebound quickly and resume normal intellectual functioning. The presence of even a single environmental hazard will decrease IQ scores by 12 points.

Children exposed to these environmental hindrances can have lower IQ scores, compared to children raised in enriched environments.

The study of sex differences in mating preferences and sexual behavior can be hampered by____________samples and perhaps enhanced by_____________samples. unbiased; representative convenience; representative haphazard; convenience representative; convenience

Convenience/ representative

What evidence indicates that the kind of intellectual abilities measured on intelligence tests may be partly heritable? Intelligence tests measure innate abilities, and an innate ability would be produced by genetics rather than by the environment. The effects of the environment on intellectual abilities account for less than 5 percent of the total variance in intelligence test scores. Correlations among intelligence test scores of people who share varying degrees of genetic overlap form a clear pattern. Common observation illustrates that smart parents generally have smart children.

Correlations among intelligence test scores of people who share varying degrees of genetic overlap form a clear pattern.

How do adoption studies and twin studies shed light on heritability? Compared to studies conducted using the general population, adoption and twin studies produce more reliable measurements. Fraternal twins tend to be adopted by different families, whereas identical twins tend to be raised in the same household. Fraternal twins are plentiful, whereas identical twins are rare; therefore, comparing the two types allows researchers to compute the genetic inheritance of each. Done correctly, they can help researchers estimate the relative contributions of genetics and environment when explaining differences in behavior.

Done correctly, they can help researchers estimate the relative contributions of genetics and environment when explaining differences in behavior

The study of stable changes in the expression of a particular gene that occur without changes in DNA is called genome shift epigenetics linkage hereditarian bypass

Epigenetics

Which statement correctly summarizes the nature of evolution? Evolution is a change in gene frequencies in a population over many generations. Evolution explains why species tend to remain stable across different environments. Evolution is the study of how one person's genes become more fit than another person's genes. Evolution is the process by which an individual organism adapts to its environment.

Evolution is a change in gene frequencies in a population over many generations

___________refers to a change in gene frequencies within a population, whereas_________refers to a process by which some individuals with genetically influenced traits (that are adaptive to a particular environment) survive and reproduce in greater numbers. Evolution; modular punctuation Evolution; natural selection Natural selection; evolution Epigenesis; natural selection

Evolution/natural selection

What do sociobiologists focus on?

Evolutionary explanations of social behaviors in animals and humans

The basic units of heredity are called RNA chromosomes noncoding DNA genes

Genes

A segment of DNA that varies across individuals, has a known location on a chromosome, and can function as a landmark for a gene implicated in a physical or mental condition is known as a: part-whole gene genome part-whole genome genetic marker

Genetic marker

The proportion of the total variance in a trait that is attributable to genetic variation within a group is also known as genetic shift heritability linkage genetic constancy

Heritability

Which of the following is not a caution when interpreting heritability? Heritability estimates do not apply to a specific person, only to variations within a group of people. An estimate of heritability applies only to a particular group living in a particular environment. Even highly heritable traits can be modified by the environment. Heritability estimates are likely to shift depending on the proportion of women to men tested in the environment.

Heritability estimates are likely to shift depending on the proportion of women to men tested in the environment

Wally is discussing his psychology class with Zanira. "We learned about the genetic influences on individual differences yesterday. My professor said that shoe size has a heritability estimate of .60. That means that my genes explain 60 percent of why my feet are so big," boasted Wally. "I'm pretty sure you've got that wrong," replied Zanira. "In fact, are you sure you were even in class yesterday?" Why is Zanira's snarky observation correct? Heritability is computed directly from genetic material rather than estimated; it's unlikely the professor collected a blood sample from Jacob during class. Olivia knows that Jacob actually wears a size 6 narrow shoe, and no amount of genes could produce a foot that small on a 300-pound adult. Heritability is actually 100 percent minus a constant; in this case it would be 100% - 60% = 40%. Heritability estimates do not apply to a specific person but only to variations within a group of people.

Heritibility estimates do not apply to a specific person but only to variations within a group of people

Which siblings show the highest degree of correlation in their IQ scores? fraternal twins reared together in the same household identical twins reared together in the same household nontwin biological siblings reared together in the same household identical twins reared apart in different households

Identical twins reared together in the same household

Why would men report desiring a younger female mate, according to sociobiological and evolutionary explanations? Males know that a younger female will be closer in age to their offspring and therefore be better caregivers because of those psychological and behavioral similarities. It is adaptive for males to seek females with material resources, and younger females generally have greater opportunities for that than do older females. Males want to know that a potential mate will stay with them to help with childrearing, and younger females would maximize that time span. It is adaptive for males to want young and fertile females and to inseminate as many females as possible.

It is adaptive for males to want young and fertile females, and to inseminate as many females as possible

What conclusion can we reach about environmental hindrances to mental ability, such as poor prenatal care, exposure to toxins, or stressful family circumstances?

Lack of environmental "nutrients" can lead to IQ score gaps of many points when comparing children raised in deprived environments to those who are not

Across a wide range of countries, what general trend do women and men report in their preference for a mate?

Men say they prefer to marry a woman younger than themselves, whereas women prefer men who are older than themselves

Which statement regarding the specific genes involved in intelligence is the most accurate? Twin studies have implicated several major genes involved in intelligence. Because most studies have found very low heritability estimates for IQ, there is no good rationale for investigating the specific genes involved in intelligence. Research has isolated 15 specific gene variants linked to intelligence, and they explain 25 percent of the variance in IQ scores. Multiple genes likely play a role in intelligence, but genome-wide studies have not definitively identified them yet.

Multiple genes likely play a role in intelligence, but genome-wide studies have not definitively identified them yet.

Imagine that both Sam and Mike each were born with 20 units of "genetic intelligence." Sam grows up in an environment full of books, stimulation, and parental attention. Mike grows up in an environment full of monotony, malnutrition, and parental neglect. Despite their equivalence on "genetic intelligence," what would you predict about Sam's and Mike's intellectual development? Sam is likely to show worse performance on intelligence tests and other measures of mental ability than is Mike. Mike is likely to show better performance on intelligence tests and other measures of mental ability than is Sam. Sam is likely to show better performance on intelligence tests and other measures of mental ability than is Mike. Both Sam and Mike are likely to show comparable performance on intelligence tests and other measures of mental ability.

Sam is likely to show better performance on intelligence tests and other measures of mental ability than is Mike.

A researcher interested in the heritability of intelligence would probably examine a group of people's IQ scores, or intelligence quotients. How are IQ scores distributed in the population? Scores average 400 on an 800-point scale, with most scores falling between 300 and 500. Scores typically range from 100 to 200, with scores below 100 indicating mental deficiencies. Scores near an average of 85 are most common, whereas scores higher than 85 are rare. Scores near an average of 100 are most common, whereas very high or very low scores are rare.

Scores near an average of 100 are most common, whereas very high or very low scores are rare.

What does whole-genome sequencing involve? specifically targeting genes that are associated with rare medical disorders sequencing the entire 3 billion base pairs of DNA that make up the human genome isolating individual genes that contribute uniquely to specific traits comparing DNA variants in people who share a particular trait with those of people who do not have that trait

Sequencing the entire 3 billion base pairs of DNA that make up the human genome

People all over the world display primary emotions using the same facial expressions: smiles for happiness, furrowed brows for anger, or curled upper lips for contempt. People all over the world are also quite accurate at decoding these emotional expressions. According to evolutionary psychologists, why is this? All humans are genetically programmed to understand emotion because emotions are part of the genetic inheritance of our species. The ability to quickly signal and understand internal emotional states allowed early humans to anticipate the quality of their social interactions. Facial expressions are shaped by the environments humans find themselves in. Environmental influences on a person's emotional state are not as pronounced as genetic influences on a person's tendency to feel happy or angry.

The ability to quickly signal and understand internal emotional states allowed early humans to anticipate the quality of their social interactions

When behavioral geneticists compute heritability, what does it refer to? The extent to which a given individual's behaviors can be explained as being due to genetic factors. The proportion of the total variance in a trait that is attributable to genetic variation within a group. An estimate of the contribution of genetic factors to a given trait divided by the contribution of environmental factors to that same trait. A baseline estimate of the percent of variance in a trait in an individual that is due to unchanging, genetically based, inherited factors.

The proportion of the total variance in a trait that is attributable to genetic variation within a group.

Which of the following is not a challenge to the evolutionary view of human mating strategies?

The universalist- drift hypothesis

Why would an impulse for play, exploration, and novelty be evolutionarily adaptive? Novelty produces play, and play leads to exploration; therefore, organisms that follow that sequence will pass on their genes to their offspring. Organisms that explore their environments would evolve at a faster rate than those that didn't. Those characteristics would help an organism learn about an environment, find sources of food, and generally meet the challenges of daily living. Those individuals who risked exploring their environment or trying novel activities would be more likely to die, and therefore eliminated from the gene pool.

Those characteristics would help an organism learn about an environment, find sources of food, and generally meet the challenges of daily living