object permanence ✔✔the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived
What is the difference between heredity and heritability
... [Show More] ✔✔heritability is the proportion of
variation in individuals of a group that we can attribute to genes, heredity is the genetic transfer of
characteristics from parents to children
What is the human genome? ✔✔the shared genetic profile of human DNA, complete instructions
for making an individual, all the genetic material in the organisms chromosomes(DNA)
What kinds of characteristics are least and most influenced by our genetics? ✔✔appearance is
heritable, temperament, personality, intelligence, substance abuse disorders, least influenced are
those where environment comes into play
What kinds of characteristics are least and most influenced by our environment? ✔✔least is
personality, most can be determined by stress/diet/pollutants/chemicals/drugs/exercise/emotions
How can twin and adoption studies help us understand the relative influence of genetics and the
environment? ✔✔can manipulate how hereditary(with differentiating environments)can influence
twins and vice versa. findings show that shared genes contribute to same mental disorders,
identical look more alike(duh), personalities most similar amongst identical twins,
What is the relationship between DNA, genes, and chromosomes? ✔✔dna is a complex molecule
containing genetic info that makes upthe chromosomes, genes are biochemical units of heredity
that make up chromosomes/segments of dna that synthesize proteins, chromosomes are threadlike
structures made of dna molecules that contain the genes
Where can you find a person's chromosomes? ✔✔nucleus of every human cell
Distinguish behavioral genetics from epigenetics from molecular genetics ✔✔behavioral genetics
is the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior,
epigenetics is the study of how environments can trigger or block genetic
expression.(environmental influences on gene expression that occurs with a dna change),
molecular genetics is study of molecular structure and function of genes, molecular/behavioral is
how structure and function of genes interacts with environment to influence behavior
What does it mean to say that a gene is "expressed" ? ✔✔gene is expressed when it is active,
epigenetic marks can indicate a cell to "turn off" a gene
What are the differences between identical and fraternal twins? ✔✔identical are from single
fertilized egg that splits(genetically identical), dont always have same number of copies of genes
expressed within genome, most share a placenta/ fraternal are from two separated fertilized
eggs,share prenatal environment but no different than other siblings
What are the differences between monozygotic and dizygotic? ✔✔monozygotic is one zygote,
dizygotic is two
What is temperament and how is it related to personality? ✔✔temperament is emotional reactivty
and excitablity, is genetically influenced, higher emotional reactivity can result in a more agressive
and impulsive personality
How do biology, culture, and environment interact to influence our characteristics? ✔✔culture
works as a shared group of beliefs amongst a group of people and transmits learned behaviors that
give groups and edge, environment can trigger/suppress gene activity, biology is our genes and
can make us predisposed to certain personality characteristics/physiological characteristics
Understand that between group differences can be quite small compared to differences between
individuals within the same group ✔✔there can be more differences between individuals in the
same group:known as within-group differences
How do parents influence us? Peers? ✔✔personality wise-parents dont influence us as much(10
percent range of influence), however, negligent parents/abusive or positive parenting can promote
childs mental health or deteroriate it, peers influence us due to the need to belong/peer pressure
and conforming/culture likely stems from peer influence
What is natural selection and how does it contribute to evolution? ✔✔natural selection is nature
selecting traits and appetites that contribute to survival and reproduction. contributes to evolution
because men and women will make choices of reproduction based on women wanting to find
support in a man to send genes into future, men reproduce more often
How does natural selection contribute to evolutionary psychology? ✔✔nature selects behavior that
increases genetic success, we choose what helped our ancestors succeed in the past, act in ways
that would accelerate reproduction
What is a mutation and how might it affect evolution? ✔✔mutations are random errors in gene
replication, mutations can affect evolution because if there are errors in gene replication, the
species may not evolve or be successful in their environments
What differences between men and women do evolutionary psychologists attribute to evolution?
✔✔REPRODUCTIVE difference. women: when it comes to pregnancy and nausea, they were
genetically predisposed to avoid bitter/strong foods for survival value(i.e these can harm prenatal
development, males more likely to initiate sexual activity(more chances of impregnanting women,
dna will survive longer for evolutionary purposes), women are choosier/less sex because they need
partners who will protect theirfetus(at stake for nine months)
What are the criticisms of evolutionary psychology? ✔✔why predict current patterns based on
how our ancestors acted, consider cultural expectations/societal standards(smaller margins in
behavior in countries with greater gender equality), some say social learning theory offers a better
explanation(social scripts of cultures/i.e modern culture has an immediate influence and impact)
Describe the "pruning" and when it occurs. ✔✔this process occurs during puberty, we are exposed
to a multitude of sensations creating different neural pathways, but the pruning process causes less
traveled pathways to disappear and broadens those that are accentuated(unemployed connections
lost during puberty)
Understand "Plasticity" and how it relates to new experiences. ✔✔plasticity is the brains ability to
change, the brain can build new pathways based on new experiences, aka the brain adapts and
forms differently(strongest in childhood, but occurs all throughout life)
Describe a "selection" effect. ✔✔kids seek out peers with similar interests and attitudes, sorting
one another into like-minded groups, influence of culture=influenced by environment
What are norms and how do they shape us? ✔✔an understood rule for accepted and expected
behavior, norms describe "proper" behavior, shape us because cultural groups can evolve their
own norms, thus influencing us to take on these norms as our own, and culture shock can happen
because different regions have different norms
Understand the differences between individualistic and collectivist cultures. ✔✔individualismprioritizing ones own goals over the groups, identity defined as ones own attributes as opposed to
group identification, collectivist-prioritizing goals of a group, greater loss of identity(group
identity, group values)
What does it mean to be Transgender? ✔✔an umbrella term describing people whose gender
identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth sex
What is androgyny? ✔✔displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological
characteristics
What does it mean to be Intersex? ✔✔a condition present at birth due to unusual combinations of
male and female chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy; possessing biological sexual
characteristics of both sexes
How do chromosomes relate to biological sex? What are the chromosome combinations that most
frequently correspond to being anatomically female and male? Which parent determines biological
sex of the child? ✔✔the twenty-third pair of chromosomes become more apparent in six
weeks(these are the sex chromosomes), female chromosomes: two X chromosomes, male
chromosomes: one X one Y, the father determines biological sex(1 chromosome out of 46 that is
not unisex, either another X-which would make you female, or a y-which would make you male)
How do women and men typically differ, and how does culture affect the expression of these
differences? ✔✔women: enter puberty about a year earlier/5 year longer life span on average,
expresses emotions more freely, detect fainter odors, recieves more offers of help, become sexually
rearoused sooner after orgasm. twice risk of developing anxiety/depression 10 times more for
eating disorders, men: 4 times more risk for deathly suicide or to develop an alcohol abuse disorder,
more likely for autism, adhd, colorblind, antisocial personality disorder as an adult, likely more
agressive, cultural norms can influence these differences
What is the difference between physical and relational aggression? ✔✔physical agression:
physical harm but psychologists view aggression as, relational aggression: an act of aggression
(physical or verbal)intended to harm a person's relationship or social standing
What is the "male answer syndrome"? ✔✔the phenomenon that men will hazard answers rather
than admit that they dont know an answer to a question( adult men convos often focus on problem
solving )
What are the physiological changes that occur at puberty in women and men? ✔✔women: breasts,
larger hips, menstruation(menarche), taller height(surge ahead of boys, but boys overtake typically
at age 14),men: facial hair, deeper voice, wet dream(spermarche) [Show Less]