3.2 Behavioral Genetics

behavioral genetics

study of how heritability and genetics influence behavior

nature

influence of genes and evolution on behavior and other psychological processes

nurture

relative influence of learning, experiences, and socialization on behavior and other psychological processes

nature of nurture

idea that our genes significantly affect how we nurture and are nurtured by others

monozygotic MZ twins

aka identical twins

twins develop from one sperm and one egg that divide in the womb so the twins share the same dna

share 100 percent of genes

dizygotic DZ twins

aka fraternal twins

twins that share the same womb but are no more related than brothers and sisters

share 50 percent of genes

heritability

statistical term relating influence of genetics and environment on traits

twin and family studies are often used to determine heritability

correlation

statistical measure of how two variables are related

often used to measure heritability by looking at how MZ and DZ twins correlate on specific traits

concordance

statistic that reports the probability of related people developing the same psychological disorder

5 categories of personality traits

openness

conscientiousness

extraversion

agreeableness

neuroticism

genetic determinism

philosophy that our genes/nature determine to a large degree our physical and mental traits

idea often discounts influence of experiences

wilson effect

finding that influence of genetics on traits such as personality and intelligence increases as we get older

behavioral genetics is the

study of genetic influences on psychological traits

our individual differences are a product of

the interaction of nature/genetics and nurture/experiences

the nature of nurture is the

idea that our genetics also influence our experiences and how we interact with others

monozygotic twins MZ share the

same genes and develop in the same womb

dizygotic twins DZ are related in the

same way as other siblings but also share the same womb

relative influence of genes on psychological traits can be determined by

comparing similarities in traits between MZ and DZ twins

heritability is a

statistical measure of the relative influence of genes and the environment

correlation is a

measure of the similarity in traits between people and often increases as genetic similarity increases

concordance is the

likelihood that a trait or psychological disorder, if found in one person, is also found in a genetic relative

twin studies evaluate the physical and psychological traits of

MZ twins and DZ twins that were raised together and raised apart

there are strong genetic influences on complex individual differences, such as

personality, spiritual beliefs, and risk-taking

the influence of genetics on psychological traits

increases as we get older