Chapter 2: Biological Beginnings and Prenatal Development

Flashcards about biological beginnings and prenatal development, covering genetics, heredity, and prenatal care.

What is natural selection?

The evolutionary process that favors individuals best adapted to survive and reproduce.

What is Evolutionary psychology?

Emphasizes adaptation, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest" in explaining behavior.

Why did an extended childhood period evolve?

Humans require time to develop a large brain and learn the complexity of human societies.

What is Albert Bandura's perspective on evolutionary psychology?

Acknowledge evolution’s role but argues for a bidirectional view where organisms alter environmental conditions.

What are chromosomes?

Threadlike structures containing DNA.

What is DNA?

A complex molecule containing genetic information.

What are genes?

Short segments of DNA that help cells reproduce and assemble proteins.

What affects of the activity of genes?

By their environment.

What is mitosis?

The process by which chromosomes duplicate themselves.

What is meiosis?

The process by which cells divide into gametes with half the genetic material.

What is fertilization?

When an egg and sperm fuse to create a single cell.

What is genotype?

All of a person’s genetic material.

What is phenotype?

External, observable characteristics.

What happens when one gene of a pair is dominant and one is recessive?

The dominant gene exerts its effect, overriding the recessive gene.

What is X-linked inheritance?

When a mutated gene is carried on the X chromosome.

What does it mean to be polygenically determined?

Interaction of many different genes.

What is gene-gene interaction?

The interdependence of two or more genes in influencing characteristics.

When do Chromosomal abnormalities occur?

When the sperm or ovum does not have its normal set of 23 chromosomes.

What is Down syndrome?

Caused by the presence of an extra chromosome and results in intellectual and motor disabilities.

What is Klinefelter syndrome?

Males have an extra X chromosome (XXY) and have undeveloped testes and enlarged breasts.

What is Fragile X syndrome (FXS)?

Results from abnormality in the X chromosome and causes mental deficiency.

What is Turner syndrome?

Females are missing an X chromosome (XO), are short, and may be infertile.

What is XYY syndrome?

A male has an extra Y chromosome (XYY).

What is Phenylketonuria (PKU)?

The individual cannot properly metabolize an amino acid, leading to intellectual disability if untreated.

What is Sickle cell anemia?

A genetic disorder affecting the red blood cells.

What does behaviour genetics seek to discover?

Seeks to discover the influence of heredity and environment on individual differences.

What do twin studies compare?

Compare the behavioral similarity of identical twins to fraternal twins.

What is the concept of heredity-environment correlations?

Individuals’ genes influence the types of environments to which they are exposed.

What are Passive genotype-environment correlations?

Biological parents provide a rearing environment.

What are Evocative genotype-environment correlations?

A child’s genotype elicits certain types of physical and social environments.

What are Active (niche-picking) genotype-environment correlations?

Children seek out compatible and stimulating environments.

What are Shared environmental experiences?

Siblings’ common experiences.

What are Nonshared environmental experiences?

A child’s unique experiences, both within and outside the family.

What is the epigenetic view?

Development is the result of an ongoing, bidirectional interchange between heredity and the environment.

What is Gene × Environment interaction (G × E)?

The interaction of a specific measured variation in DNA and a specific measured aspect of the environment.

What is conception?

A single sperm cell from the male unites with an egg in the female’s fallopian tube.

What are the three periods of prenatal development?

Germinal, embryonic, and fetal.

When does the germinal period takes place?

Takes place in the first 2 weeks after conception.

When does the embryonic period occur?

Occurs from 2 weeks to 8 weeks after conception.

What is organogenesis?

The process of organ formation during the first 2 months of prenatal development.

When does the fetal period begin?

Begins 2 months after conception and lasts for about 7 months.

What are neurons?

Nerve cells that process information at the cellular level.

When does the neural tube develop?

Develops from the ectoderm roughly 18-24 days after conception.

What is Anencephaly?

The highest regions of the brain fail to develop.

What is Spina bifida?

Results in paralysis of the lower limbs to varying degrees.

What is Neurogenesis?

The massive proliferation of new neurons, begins around 5 weeks.

What is Neuronal migration?

Neurons moving to their destination in the brain, begins approximately 6-24 weeks after conception.

What is a teratogen?

Any agent that can cause a birth defect.

What is teratology?

The field of study that investigates the causes of birth defects.

What do Psychoactive drugs do?

Act on the nervous system to alter states of consciousness, modify perceptions, and change moods.

What can drinking alcohol during pregnancy cause?

Can result in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), including facial deformities and intellectual disability.

What effects can cocaine exposure during prenatal development have?

Associated with reduced birth weight, impaired motor development, and information processing deficits.

What effects does marijuana use during pregnancy have?

Associated with the offspring’s low birth weight and lower levels of attention, memory, and impulse control.

What difficulties do Infants born to mothers addicted to heroin show?

Infants show withdrawal symptoms and impaired motor control.

What happens When the fetus’ blood is Rh-positive and the mother’s is Rh-negative?

The mother’s immune system may produce antibodies that will attack the fetus.

What effect do Men’s exposure to environmental toxins have?

They may cause abnormalities in sperm that lead to miscarriage or diseases.

What does Ultrasound sonography allow one to do?

Allows one to see the fetus’s inner structures and detect abnormalities.

What can Fetal MRI be used for?

Can be used to diagnose fetal malformations and provides more detailed images than an ultrasound.

What can Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) detect?

Can detect genetic defects and chromosome abnormalities by testing a small sample from the placenta.

What can Amniocentesis detect?

Can detect chromosome and metabolic disorders by testing a sample of amniotic fluid.

What can Maternal blood screening do?

Can identify the risk of some disorders such as spina bifida and Down syndrome.

What is in vitro fertilization (IVF)?

Eggs (ova) and sperm are combined in a laboratory dish.

What is Surrogacy?

Another female bears a child for an individual or couple.