AP Psych FLVS Mod 2.01

Nature

The idea that your behaviors, thoughts, and traits come from your genetics.

Evolutionary Psychologist/Perspective

Evolutionary psychologists focus on how we have evolved as a species over time.We are more alike than different and stems from the idea of natural selection first proposed by Charles Darwin

Natural Selection

Principle that inherit traits that better enable an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment

Behavior genetics

People who work to determine how much of who we are depends on genes and how much depends on our experience.

Mutations

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

Small segments of the giant DNA molecules (the biochemical units of heredity)

Genome

The complete instructions for making an organism

Nurture

Idea that our behaviors come from our environment because we learn them from our surroundings

Eugenics

Selectively breeding humans to promote certain characteristics

Monozygotic (Identical) twins

Develop from a single fertilized egg that split in two, creating 2 genetically identical organisms

Dizygotic (fraternal) twins

Develop from seperate fertilized eggs, they are genetically no more similar than ordinary siblings

Epigenetics

Study of molecular mechanisms by which environments can influence genetic expression, without DNA change

Interaction

When an interplay occurs between one factor , such as environment depends on another factor, like hereditary

Psychology

The study of science and behavior of the mind and mental functions

Explain the 2 parts of the definition of psychology

Behaviors are the actions we record from observations meanwhile mental processes are our internal perceptions of memories

How has Eugenics been used in a discriminatory way?

The reproduction of certain human beings with certain traits to create pleasing results

"Nurture works on what nature provides"

Every psychological event, like thoughts and emotions are also a biological event

Is it easier or difficult to change the DNA of an animal compared to a human?

More difficlut to change the DNA of a human because we have a "looser genetic leash" (shaped by the environment) meanwhile animals have a "tight genetic leash" (their genes highly influences their behaviors)

How the humans tendancy to prefer sweet or fatty food is more aligned with our ancestors than our modern one?

Our ancestors would use these foods as helpful tools for escaping immediate threats meanwhile now, we see these and think harmful to our health

Relationship between chromosomes, DNA, and genes?

We have 46 chromosome (23 from mom, dad), which is composed of the molecule DNA, genes are the small segments of giant DNA molecules.

We have 20,000 genes they are not all active, why?

Our genes are not active until environmental factors activate them, this causes protien molecules to form

Difference between monozygotic and dizygotic twins

Monozygotic twins develop from a single fertilized egg which splits, they are genetically identical, meanwhile dizygotic twins develop from 2 seperate fertilized eggs, they are not genetically identical

What is the unique research environment created when studying families with adopted children

It allows researchers to differentiate between the nature vs nurture factors of the environment (biological/genetics or development)

Traits that are more influenced by environment?

Possibility of depression, attitudes, and values

Traits that are more influenced by heredity?

Character traits, mental illnesses, and stress

Why do biological siblings have very different personalities?

Siblings can have different personalities due to a family's environnmental and genetic influence, different experiences

How can each stage of our lives affect our genetic expression in our DNA through epigentic markings?

Its the environmental factors which affect the epigenetic markings for gene expressions, for example, neglect, abuse, and variations of care during the postnatal phase can create markings and affect gene expressions.

Would it be ethical to conduct a study on human subjects, at any age where negative environmental factors were used as an independed variable to test epigenetic markings?

It would not be ethical because the negative environmental factors could cause harmful and threatening results which would not be taking the well-being of the subjects into consideration