Unit 3C: Biological Bases for Behavior

Genetics, Evolutionary Psychology, and Behavior

Dr. Ross believes that principles of natural selection help explain why infants come to fear strangers about the time they become mobile. Dr. Ross is most likely a(n)

          A.   behavior geneticist.

          B.   molecular geneticist.

          C.   evolutionary psychologist.

          D.   molecular biologist.

C.   evolutionary psychologist

A pair of adopted children or identical twins reared in the same home are most likely to have similar […]

          A.   excitability.

          B.   personalities.

          C.   religious beliefs.

          D.   emotional reactivity.

B.   personalities.

If a fraternal twin develops schizophrenia, the likelihood of the other twin developing serious mental illness is much lower than with identical twins. This suggests that […]

          A. schizophrenia is caused by genes.

          B. schizophrenia is influenced by genes.

          C. environment is unimportant in the development of schizophrenia.

          D. identical twins are especially vulnerable to mental disorders.

B. schizophrenia is influenced by genes.

Of the following, the best way to separate the effects of genes and environment in research is to study:

          A. fraternal twins.

          B. identical twins.

          C. adopted children and their adoptive parents.

          D. identical twins raised in different environments.

D. identical twins raised in different environments.

Through natural selection, the traits that are most likely to be passed on to succeeding generations are those that contribute to [..]

          A.   impulsivity.

          B.   survival.

          C.   aggression.

          D.   social influence.

B.   survival.

Evolutionary psychologists attribute gender differences in sexuality to the fact that women have […]

          A.   greater reproductive potential than do men.

          B.   lower reproductive potential than do men.

          C.   weaker sex drives than men.

          D.   stronger sex drives than men.

A.   greater reproductive potential than do men.

According to evolutionary psychology, mean are drawn sexually to women who seem ________ , while women are attracted to men who seem ________ .

          A.   nurturing; youthful.

          B.   youthful and fertile; mature and affluent.

          C.   slender; muscular.

          D.   exciting; dominant.

B. youthful and fertile; mature and affluent.

Unlike ________ twins, who develop from a single fertilized egg, ________ twins develop from separate fertilized eggs.

          A.   fraternal; identical.

          B.   identical; fraternal.

          C.   placental; non-placental.

          D.   non-placental; placental.

B.   identical; fraternal.

When evolutionary psychologists use the word fitness, they are specifically referring to […]

          A. an animal’s ability to adapt to changing environments.

          B. the diversity of a species’ gene pool.

          C. the total number of members of the species currently alive.

          D. our ability to survive and reproduce.

D. our ability to survive and reproduce.

A molecular geneticist would be most interested in studying:

          A. why most parents are so passionately devoted to their children.

          B. environmental influences on skin color.

          C. why certain diseases are more commone among certain age groups.

          D. which genes influence extraversion.

D. which genes influence extraversion.

D.Match the terms to the definitions:
          1. natural selection.

          2. genome.

          3. fraternal.

          4. genes.

          5. DNA

          6. identical.

          7. behavior genetics.

          8. chromosomes.

          9. molecular genetics.

          10. mutation.

          11. environment.

A. the biochemical units of heredity.

B. twins that develop from a single egg.

C. the complete set of instructions for making an organism.

D. driving principle behind evolutionary psychology.

E. twins that develop from separte eggs.

F. threadlike structures composed of DNA.

G. non genetic influences.

H. subfield of biology that studies the structure and function of genes.

I. study of the relative power of genetic and environmental influences.

J. a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

K. random error in gene replication.

D         1. natural selection

C         2. genome

E         3. fraternal

A         4. genes

J          5. DNA

B         6. identical

I          7. behavior genetics

F          8. chromosomes

H          9. molecular genetics

K         10. mutation

G         11. environment

Each cell of the human body has a total of […]

          A. 23 chromosomes.

          B. 23 genes.

          C. 46 chromosomes.

          D. 46 genes.

C. 46 chromosomes

Genes direct our physical development by synthesizing […]

         A.   hormones.

         B.   proteins.

         C.   DNA.

         D.   chromosomes

B.   proteins.

The genome is best defined as […]

         A.   a complex molecule containing genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

         B.   a segment of DNA.

         C.   the complete instructions for making an organism.

         D.   the code for synthesizing protein.

C.   the complete instructions for making an organism.

Most human traits are […]

          A. learned.

          B. determined by a single gene.

          C. influenced by many genes acting together.

          D. unpredictable.

C. influenced by many genes acting together.

Mutations are random errors in ________ replication.

          A.   gene.

          B. chromosome.

          C. DNA.

          D. protein.

A. gene.

Evolutionary explanations of gender differences in sexuality have been criticized because […]

          A. they offer “after-the-fact” explanations.

          B. standards of attractiveness have not changed over time.

          C. they overestimate cultural influences on sexuality.

          D. they suggest that environment overrides genetic influence.

A.   they offer “after-the-fact” explanations.

Several studies of long-separated indentical twins have found that these twins […}

          A. have little in common because of the different environments in which they were raised.

         B.   have many similarities, in everything from medical histories to personalities.

         C.   have similar personalities, but very different likes, dislikes, and life-styles.

         D.   are no more similar than are fraternal twins reared apart.

B.   have similarities, in everything from medical histories to personalities.

Adoption studies show that the personalities of adopted children […]

         A.   closely match those of their adoptive parents.

         B. bear more similarities to their biological parents than to their adoptive parents.

         C. closely match those of the biological children of their adoptive parents.

         D. closely match those of other children reared in the same home, whether or not they are biologically related.

B. bear more similarities to their biological parents than their adoptive parents.

Chromosomes are composed of small segments of […]

         A.   DNA called genes.

         B.   DNA called neurotransmitters.

         C.   genes called DNA.

         D.   DNA called enzymes.

A.   DNA called genes.

When the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another (such as heredity), we say there is a(n) ________ between two factors.

         A.   norm.

         B.   positive correlation.

         C.   negative correlation.

         D.   interaction.

D.  interaction.

An evolutionary psychologist would be most interested in studying […]

         A.   why most parents are so passionately devoted to their children.

         B. heredity influences on skin color.

         C. why certain diseases are more common among certain age groups.

         D. genetic differences in personality.

A. why most parents are so passionately devoted to their children.

True-False Items

________          1.   Gender differences in mate preferences vary widely from one culture to another.

________          2.   Most human traits are influenced by many genes acting together.

________          3.   Research on twins shows a substantial genetic influence on attitudes toward organized religion and many other issues.

________          4.   Genes act as blueprints that lead to the same result no matter the context.

________          5.   Compared with identical twins reared in different families, fraternal twins recall their early family life more differently.

________          6.   Women are more likely than men to take a relational view of sexual activity.

________          7.   Nature selects the behavioral tendencies that increase the likelihood of sending one’s genes into the future.

________          8.   Heritable individual differences in a trait always explain group differences in the same trait.

________          9.   Women increase their fitness by searching for mates with the potential for long-term investment in their joint offspring.

________          10.   Environmental events “turn on” genes.

________          11.   People who grow up together tend to have similar personalities.

False          1.   Gender differences in mate preferences vary widely from one culture to another.

True          2.   Most human traits are influenced by many genes acting together.

False          3.   Research on twins shows a substantial genetic influence on attitudes toward organized religion and many other issues.

False          4.   Genes act as blueprints that lead to the same result no matter the context.

True          5.   Compared with identical twins reared in different families, fraternal twins recall their early family life more differently.

True          6.   Women are more likely than men to take a relational view of sexual activity.

True          7.   Nature selects the behavioral tendencies that increase the likelihood of sending one’s genes into the future.

False          8.   Heritable individual differences in a trait always explain group differences in the same trait.

True          9.   Women increase their fitness by searching for mates with the potential for long-term investment in their joint offspring.

True          10.   Environmental events “turn on” genes.

False          11.   People who grow up together tend to have similar personalities.

If chromosomes are the “chapters” of heredity, the “words” are the […]

         A. genes.

         B. molecules.

         C. genomes.

         D. DNA.

A. genes.

After comparing divorce rates among identical and fraternal twins, Dr. Alexander has concluded that genes do play a role. Dr. Alexander is most likely a(n) ________.

         A. evolutionary psychologist.

         B. behavior geneticist.

         C. molecular geneticist.

         D. divorcee.

B. behavior geneticist.

Despite growing up in the same home environment, Karen and her brother John have personalities as different from each other as two people selected randomly from the population. Why is this so?

         A.   Personality is inherited. Because Karen and John are not identical twins, it is not surprising that they have very different personalities.

         B.   Gender is the most important factor in personality. If Karen had a sister, the two of them would probably be much more alike.

         C.   The interaction of their individual genes and nonshared experiences accounts for the common finding that children in the same family are usually very different.

         D.   Their case is unusual; children in the same family usually have similar personalities.

C.   The interaction of their individual genes and nonshared experiences accounts for the common finding that children in the same family are usually very different.

One of the best ways to distinguish how much genetic and environmental factors affect behavior is to compare children who have […]

         A.   the same genes and environments.

         B.   different genes and environments.

         C.   similar genes and environments.

         D.   the smae genes but different environments.

D.   the same genes but different environments.

My sibling and I developed from a single fertilized egg. Who are we?

         A.   opposite-sex identical twins.

         B.   same-sex identical twins.

         C. opposite-sex fraternal twins.

         D. same-sex fraternal twins.

B. same-sex identical twins.

Of the relatively few genetic differences among humans ________ are differences among population groups.

         A.   less than 1 percent.

         B.   less than 10 percent.

         C.   approximately 25 percent.

         D.   approximately 40 to 50 percent.

B.   less than 10 percent.

A person whose twin has Alzheimer’s disease has ________ risk of sharing the disease if they are identical twins than they are fraternal twins.

         A.   less.

         B.   about the same.

         C.   a much greater.

         D.   an unpredictable.

C.   a much greater.

Which of the following is an example of an interaction?

         A.   Swimmers swim fastest during competition against other swimmers.

         B.   Swimmers with certain personality traits swim fastest during competition, while those with other personality traits swim fastest during solo time trials.

         C.   As the average daily temperature increases, sales of ice cream decrease.

         D.   As the average daily temperature increases, sales of lemonade increase.

B.   Swimmers with certain personality traits swim fastest during competition, while those with other personality traits swim fastest during solo time trials.

Which of the following most accurately summarizes the findings of the 40-year fox-breeding study described in the text?

         A.   Wild foxes cannot be domesticated.

         B.   “Survival of the Fittest” seems to operate only when animals live in their habitats.

         C.   By mating aggressive and unaggressive foxes, the researchers created a mutant species.

         D.   By selecting and mating the tamest males and females, the researchers have produced affectionate, unaggressive offspring.

D.   By selecting and mating the tamest males and females, the researchers have produced affectionate, unaggressive offspring.

Which of the following is true of women, as compared with men?

         A. They are less likely to be concerned with their partner’s maturity.

         B. They are more likely to initiate sexual activity.

         C. They are more likely to perceive warm responses as a sexual come-on.

         D. They are less likely to sacrifice to gain sex.

D. They are less likely to sacrifice to gain sex.