Evolutionary and Genetic Theories on Personality
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Questions and Answers

In adoption studies, what is primarily analyzed to determine the influence of genetics on personality?

  • The adoptive parents' socioeconomic status and its impact on the child's personality.
  • The correlation between the adopted child's personality scores and their biological parents' scores. (correct)
  • The adopted child's academic performance compared to their peers.
  • The correlation between the adopted child's personality scores and the adoptive parents' scores.

    • Which of the following is a major criticism of twin studies when determining the heritability of personality traits?

  • Twin studies do not correct for the equal environment assumption. (correct)
  • Twin studies do not account for the genetic differences between monozygotic and dizygotic twins.
  • Twin studies often overestimate environmental influences due to the equal environment assumption.
  • Twin studies typically have excessively large sample sizes, complicating data analysis.

    • According to findings related to the Five Factor Model (FFM), which personality trait demonstrates the highest average heritability?

  • Openness to experience (correct)
  • Agreeableness
  • Neuroticism
  • Conscientiousness

    • Which of the following temperaments is most closely associated with the personality trait of neuroticism?

    <p>Emotionality (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which personality disorder has been found to have the lowest heritability?

    <p>Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which characteristic of psychopathy demonstrates high heritability, indicating a significant genetic component?

    <p>Carefree disposition (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a potential pitfall of interpreting high heritability estimates for certain personality traits and disorders?

    <p>Believing that these traits or disorders are entirely biologically determined and unchangeable. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    If a twin study finds that monozygotic twins are significantly more similar in a personality trait than dizygotic twins, what conclusion can be drawn, assuming equal environments?

    <p>The personality trait is likely to be highly heritable. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the fundamental distinction that behavioral genetics seeks to determine regarding individual differences in personality?

    <p>The extent to which variations in personality are attributable to genetic factors as opposed to environmental influences. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following scenarios exemplifies a passive genotype-environment correlation?

    <p>Parents predisposed to intellectual pursuits create a home filled with books, which fosters their child's intellectual development, aligning with the child's genetic predispositions. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A child who is genetically predisposed to aggression elicits hostile reactions from peers, which in turn reinforces their aggressive tendencies. This is an example of what type of genotype-environment correlation?

    <p>Reactive genotype-environment correlation (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    An individual with a genetic predisposition for thrill-seeking behavior actively pursues extreme sports and high-risk activities. What type of genotype-environment correlation does this represent?

    <p>Active genotype-environment correlation (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The D4DR gene on chromosome 11 has been associated with sensation-seeking behavior. According to the information, what is the proposed mechanism by which this gene influences such behavior?

    <p>Dopamine dysfunction, requiring more stimulating experiences to achieve satisfaction. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does 'heritability' specifically measure in the context of behavioral genetics?

    <p>The proportion of observed variance in a trait within a population that can be attributed to genetic variance. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In behavioral genetics, what does 'environmentality' refer to?

    <p>The proportion of phenotypic variance attributable to variance in environmental factors. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is it inappropriate to apply behavioral genetics to individuals?

    <p>Behavioral genetics requires group data to compare genetic and environmental influences on variation. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flashcards

    Behavioral Genetics

    The study of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

    Genotype-Environment Correlation

    The relationship between individual genetic predispositions and their environments.

    Heritability

    The proportion of phenotypic variance in a population attributable to genetic variance.

    Environmentality

    The proportion of phenotypic variance in a population attributable to environmental variance.

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    Twin Studies

    Research that compares similarities between identical and fraternal twins to assess genetic influence.

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    Adoption Studies

    Research that examines similarities between adopted children and their biological and adoptive parents.

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    Passive Genotype-Environment Correlation

    When parents provide gene-conducive environments that allow genetic predispositions to express.

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    Active Genotype-Environment Correlation

    When individuals actively seek environments that encourage the expression of their genetic predispositions.

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    Selective Placement

    The practice of matching adopted children with adoptive parents similar to their biological ones.

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    Equal Environment Assumption

    The assumption that identical twin siblings grow up in similar environments, affecting personality development.

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    Five Factor Taxonomy (FFT)

    A model that describes five major personality traits, each with a degree of heritability.

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    Heritability of Personality

    The proportion of variance in personality traits attributed to genetic factors, often estimated around 50%.

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    Temperaments

    Inborn personality characteristics observed in the first year of life, believed to have high heritability.

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    Heritability of Personality Disorders

    The extent to which genetic factors influence personality disorders, varying from high to low.

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    Study Notes

    Evolutionary and Genetic Theories on Personality

    • Behavioral Genetics Goals: Reviewing goals, discussing genotype-environment correlations, defining heritability and environmentality, contrasting adoption and twin studies, calculating heritability and environmentality from twin studies, discussing criticisms of adoption and twin studies, and examining the heritability of diverse personality characteristics, temperaments, and disorders.
    • Behavioral Influences: Immediate influences examine internal factors like genes and neurochemicals. Goals include determining individual differences due to genetics versus environment. Equations like VP = VG + VE (Variation in personality = Variation in genetics + Variation in environment) are used. Crucially, note that behavioral genetics can only apply to populations, not individuals, due to genotype-environment correlations.

    Types of Correlations

    • Passive: Parents provide environments that support their children's genetic predispositions.
    • Reactive: Children's genetically predisposed behaviors evoke responses from others and create environments.
    • Active: Individuals actively seek out environments that support their genetic tendencies (niche picking).

    Heritability and Environmentality

    • Heritability: Proportion of phenotypic variance (observable characteristic differences) attributable to genotypic variance (genetic makeup). Example: The heritability of aggression is 67%.
    • Environmentality: Proportion of phenotypic variance attributable to environmental factors. Example: 62% of observed variance in ambition is due to environmental factors.

    Assessing Heritability/Environmentality

    • Adoption Studies: Compare adopted children's scores to both their biological and adopted families. Results reflect that biological parents have more influence on personality traits than adoptive parents.
    • Twin Studies: Monozygotic (identical) twins share 100% of genes, while dizygotic (fraternal) twins share 50%. Twins are used for heritability calculations.

    Criticisms

    • Selective placement: Adoption studies don't always account for similarities between adoptive parents and biological parents.
    • Equal environment assumption: Twin studies may overestimate heritability if identical twins are treated more similarly than fraternal twins.

    Personality Characteristics & Heritability

    • High Heritability: Activity level, emotionality, and sociability (temperaments) show high heritability. Personality disorders like antisocial, avoidant, borderline, narcissistic, and obsessive-compulsive also show varying and often high heritability, with figures ranging from ~0.5 to greater than 0.69.
    • Personality Domains (e.g., Big Five): Traits like agreeableness, conscientiousness, extroversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience also show significant heritability (with values approximately 0.40 to 0.50).

    Psychopathy Heritability

    • Psychopathy traits like carefree, coldheartedness, fearlessness, impulsivity, Machiavellianism, and stress immunity, demonstrate a varying degree of heritability.

    Conclusion

    • Most traits have a heritability in the 0.4-0.6 range, with some traits having higher estimates. Heritability estimates are population-based. It's important to remember that no personality trait is purely genetic or environmental; both factors contribute.

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    Genetics & Environment on Personality PDF

    Description

    Explore the intricate relationship between genetics and environment in shaping personality. This quiz delves into behavioral genetics, genotype-environment correlations, and methods for calculating heritability from twin studies. Test your understanding of how these factors influence personality characteristics, temperaments, and disorders.

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