ap psych vocab 3

Behavior Genetics

study focused on understanding the influence of genetic inheritance and environmental factors on individual differences in behavior and psychological traits

DNA

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

Genes

DNA segments that serve as the key functional units in hereditary transmission.

Evolutionary Psychology

the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using principles of natural selection

Natural Selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

Heritability

the proportion of variation among individuals in a group that can be attributed to genes.

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

Norm

an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. prescribe "proper" behavior.

Individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

Social Learning Theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

Gender

in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female

Temperament

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Fraternal Twins

twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share a fetal environment.

Identical Twins

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

Gender Schema Theory

the theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly

Estrogen

Female sex hormone

Testosterone

Male sex hormone

X chromosome

the sex chromosome that is present in both sexes: singly in males and doubly in females

Y Chromosome

the sex chromosome typically found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child.