1.1 Module Interaction of heredity and Environment

Nature-nurture issue

The longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s science views traits and behaviors as arising from the interaction of nature and nuture.

Natural Selection

The principle that the inherited traits enabling an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will (in competition with other trait variations) most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.

Evolutionary psychology

The study of the volution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

Behavior Genetics

The study of the relative power and the limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

Mutation

A random error in gene replication that leads to a change.

Environment

Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to our experiences of the people and things around us.

Heredity

The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring.

Genes

The biochemical units of heredity

Genome

The complete instructions for making an organism.

Identical (Monozygotic) Twins

Individuals who developed from a single egg that spilt into two, creating two genetically identical organisms.

Fraternal (Dizygotic) Twins

Individuals who developed from separate eggs. They are genetically no closer than siblings, but they shared a prenatal environment.

Interactions

The interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity)

Epigenetics

“Above” or “in addition to” (epi) genetics; the study of the molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expression (without a DNA change)