52 Questions
What did the University of Minnesota study focus on?
The study focused on twins separated shortly after birth and raised by different adoptive parents.
What did the discovery of Jim Springer and Jim Lewis reveal?
The discovery revealed that despite being raised in different families, the twins had many commonalities.
What is the main focus of behaviour genetics?
Studying the influence of genetics and environment on behavior.
What did Charles Darwin's quote imply about the foundation of psychology?
The quote implied that psychology will be based on a new foundation rooted in genetics and evolution.
What do gene knockout studies help identify?
Genes involved in behavior
What ethical and moral issues does genetic engineering raise?
Preventing genetic disorders and extending healthy lifespans
What does the heritability coefficient estimate?
The extent to which genetic factors contribute to the variation in a characteristic within a population
What probability of sharing a gene does an individual have with their siblings?
50%
What is the focus of gene-modification research in psychology?
Processes like learning, memory, emotion, and motivation
What may gene-modification techniques help alter in the future?
Genes contributing to psychological disorders
What does the heritability coefficient refer to?
Differences within a group, not to differences between groups, and applies only to differences within a population, not to the trait itself
What is the impact of gene knockout of a single gene on the body and brain?
May disrupt a wide range of functions
What does genetic engineering aim to do?
Prevent genetic disorders and propagate desirable human characteristics
What is the focus of behavior geneticists' study?
How hereditary and environmental factors combine to influence psychological characteristics
What does genetic transmission help understand?
How genetically similar people are, based on their relatedness
What do knockout procedures in animals involve?
Altering specific genes to observe their effects on behavior
What did the Human Genome Project do?
Mapped the genetic structure in every chromosome pair
Approximately how many genes does the human genome contain?
25,000
What is the main purpose of genetic engineering?
Duplication and modification of gene structures
What is the role of dominant and recessive genes?
Determine observable characteristics
What percentage of genes target brain structure and function?
Approximately half
What is the impact of polygenic transmission on the genetic picture?
Complicates the genetic picture
What is the potential positive impact of recombinant technology in psychology?
Positive social and psychological consequences
What does recombinant DNA procedures involve?
Cutting genetic DNA, combining it with DNA from another organism, and inserting the new strands into a host organism
What is the result of the union of sperm and egg in terms of potential genotypes?
About 70 trillion potential genotypes
What have molecular biologists developed methods for?
Inserting new genetic material into viruses to study genetic influences on behavior
What did the Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics discover about human genes?
Approximately 200 human genes may have arisen from genes that bacteria inserted into our early ancestors
What is the function of genes in cells?
Control the production of proteins which influence the structure of cells and the chemical reactions within them
What is the heritability coefficient a statistical estimate of?
How much of the variability within a group is due to genetic factors
What do adoption studies compare to determine genetic influence?
A person's characteristic with both biological and adoptive parents
What do twin studies compare to evaluate genetic factors?
Concordance rates in identical and fraternal twins
What do monozygotic (identical) twins develop from?
The same fertilized egg
What does a higher concordance rate of a disorder in biological family members compared to adoptive family members suggest?
A hereditary link
What provides a basis for estimating the relative contributions of heredity and environment to a physical or psychological characteristic?
The level of genetic similarity in family members and relatives
What do heritability coefficients explain within a group?
Individual differences
What do adoption and twin studies provide insights into?
Behavioral genetics
What do dizygotic (fraternal) twins share in terms of genetic endowment?
50 percent
What do researchers compare to rule out environmental explanations for greater psychological similarity?
Sets of identical and fraternal twins who were separated early in life and raised in different environments
What are heritability estimates in Table 4.1 based on?
Studies of mostly middle-class North Americans
What does the heritability coefficient vary based on?
The environmental factors within the group
What is the definition of genotype?
The specific genetic makeup of an individual
What did Gregor Mendel's research with garden peas confirm?
The passing on of specific organic factors
What are genes?
Segments of DNA that contain instructions to make proteins
What is the role of chromosomes?
Carrying the hereditary blueprint in units called genes
How many chromosomes do humans have in every cell except for sex cells?
46
What does the DNA portion of the chromosome carry in units called genes?
The hereditary blueprint
What forms a zygote, representing the beginning of a new individual?
The union of the egg and sperm
What do psychologists in behavior genetics study?
The ways in which environmental conditions can affect the genetically inherited potential of an organism
What did Hippocrates suggest about the passing on of physical characteristics?
Semen contains a design for the formation of the offspring
What is the distinction between genotype and phenotype?
Genotypes are present from conception and never change, while phenotypes can be affected by other genes and the environment
What are alleles?
Alternative forms of a gene that produce different characteristics
What do chromosomes consist of?
Two long, twisted strands of DNA carrying genetic information
Study Notes
Genotype and Phenotype: Understanding Genetic Transmission
- Genotype refers to an individual's specific genetic makeup, while phenotype encompasses the observable characteristics produced by that genetic endowment.
- Genetic transmission involves the passing on of specific organic factors, as confirmed by Gregor Mendel's research with garden peas in the 1860s.
- Genes, segments of DNA that contain instructions to make proteins, are the building blocks of life and are carried on chromosomes.
- Chromosomes, consisting of DNA and protein, are tightly coiled molecules that carry the hereditary blueprint.
- The DNA portion of the chromosome carries the hereditary blueprint in units called genes, with humans having 46 chromosomes in every cell except for sex cells.
- Every human cell (except red blood cells) contains a nucleus with 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs, and each nucleus contains two copies of each gene, one from the mother and one from the father.
- The union of the egg and sperm forms a zygote, containing 46 chromosomes and representing the beginning of a new individual.
- Environmental forces combine with genetic endowment to determine behavior, and psychologists in behavior genetics study the ways in which environmental conditions can affect the genetically inherited potential of an organism.
- Hippocrates was one of the first to provide a semi-correct answer to how physical characteristics are passed on from parents to their offspring, suggesting that semen contains a design for the formation of the offspring.
- Early in the 20th century, geneticists made the important distinction between genotype and phenotype, with genotypes being present from conception and never changing, while phenotypes can be affected by other genes and the environment.
- Chromosomes consist of two long, twisted strands of DNA, carrying genetic information in the form of specific sequences of adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine, with every cell in the body (except red blood cells) carrying within its nucleus 23 pairs of chromosomes.
- Alternative forms of a gene that produce different characteristics are called alleles, and they occur in pairs within each chromosome, with the offspring receiving one of each gene pair from each parent.
Test your knowledge of genotype and phenotype with this quiz on genetic transmission. Explore the concepts of genes, chromosomes, and the inheritance of traits, and learn about the interplay between genetic endowment and environmental factors in determining behavior.
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