Terms:

Science Review:

• In the nucleus of our cells, there are 46 Chromosomes

• Each chromosome contains coiled molecule chains of DNA

• Each chain of DNA is broken down further into Genes

  • There are 30,000 gene codes in our body

• All humans are 99.9% similar. So, just a small change in genetic code can create a large change in characteristics

Evolutionary Psychology:

• Some psychologists believe that our behaviors are influenced by what humans have done in the past to survive

• They believe these behaviors/traits have been written into our genetic code

• Especially those traits that lead to an increased chance of reproduction and survival

  • Natural Selection

Further Examples: Sexual Drive/Attitudes:

• Men can reproduce throughout their life, but women cannot; therefore women put more trust in children and their choice of mate

  • Women tend to seek stability and strength in a mate (support and protect)

How/who do you study when looking at Nature vs. Nurture?

• Twin Studies:

  • Identical twins come from the same egg and are genetically identical

  • Fraternal twins come from separate eggs and are no more similar than any other brother or sister

    • Twins separated at birth are of great interest to psychologists in the study of nature vs. nurture

  • On most surveys, identical twins have more similar answers than fraternal twins

    • Bouchard’s University of Minnesota Study

  • Identical twins separated show more similarities to fraternal who were separated

    • Video Link #1

    • Video Link #2

• Adoption Studies:

  • Do people show more characteristics of their adopted parent or their biological parent?

  • People who grow up together whether adopted or not do not have similar personalities

  • Adopted children show more traits of biological parents

    • But belief systems (politics, religion) will be the same as the household members

• Temperament Studies:

  • Does emotional excitability stay the same throughout life?

  • Are babies that are excitable showing the same characteristics at 2 years, 21 years, etc.?

    • Studies show that, yes, although some people show minor changes in temperament, most people remain the same from birth until adulthood

Environmental Factors:

• Four Main Environmental Factors:

Video Link

The Future?

• Molecular Genetics

  • Identifying which genes are connected to which characteristics

• Epigenetics

  • Environmental impact on how genes express themselves

  • Example: Poor nutrition during pregnancy might make children more susceptible to obesity

The Nature of Gender:

• Chromosomes determine which sex a fetus will become

  • Male=XY

  • Female=XX

• The Y chromosome triggers the release of testosterone and the development of male organs

  • If a female fetus is exposed to excess testosterone it may be more aggressive and have more male-oriented tastes (until puberty)

The Nurture of Gender:

Sleep Stages:

• Rapid Eye Movement (REM):

  • About every 60-90 minutes of sleep, our body enters a state of REM, which is unique and different from the 4 stages of sleep

• What happens during REM:

  • Lasts about 10 minutes, but increases slightly as the night goes on

  • Bodily functions increase

  • Eyes dart around

  • Brain waves resemble those when we are awake

  • Dream vividly

Other Sleep Facts:

• Stimulus in the room can impact sleep

  • Artificial light can impact our circadian rhythm

  • Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (Melatonin)

• The amount of sleep we get can impact how we function. Sleep Deprivation can impact:

  • The immune system

  • Memory

  • Creativity

  • Concentration

Sleep Disorders:

Insomnia:

• 10-15% of people suffer from the inability to fall or stay asleep

• Potential causes: stress, anxiety, conflicted thoughts, depression

  • Sleeping pills and alcohol can also contribute due to their restriction on REM sleep (your body needs REM)

• Advice For Insomnia:

  • Do relaxing activities before bed

  • Dim your lights at night

  • Avoid caffeine in the evening

Narcolepsy:

• Narcolepsy is overwhelming sleepiness

  • People who suffer fall into a state of REM for about five minutes anytime during the day

  • Loss of muscle control

• Narcoleptics may suffer from a lack of hypocretin, a neurotransmitter

Sleep Apnea:

• People who suffer stop breathing during sleep (can be up to 400 times a night)

• 1 in 20 suffers from this disorder, most commonly seen in overweight males who are heavy snorers

• Can also lead to narcolepsy

• Treatment generally is a breathing machine

Night Terrors:

• These are not nightmares!

  • Nightmares occur during REM and are stressful dreams that wake you up

• Night Terrors are when a person does not wake yet screams/yells in terror, may even run around, SNS activity increases, etc.

  • Occurs in stage NREM-3 sleep (intense for this generally calm, relaxed stage)

• Most commonly found in children

Dream Studies:

• Dreams are studied by awakening people during REM sleep and asking them what they were dreaming about

• What we know:

  • You can change your dreams (Lucid Dreaming)

  • Close to 80% of our dreams are negative

  • Most are extremely boring

• Dreams can be impacted by the stimulus in your environment

• There is no proof that your behavior can be changed by what you hear in your sleep

REM Rebound:

• If someone is deprived of sleep and/or awakens a lot during a sleep period, they will fall into REM quicker (as well as REM longer) than a “regular” sleeper who is not sleep deprived

  • This is known as REM Rebound

Dream Theories:

• Sigmund Freud

  • He believed that the storyline of dreams is impacted by the previous day’s experiences (Manifest Content)

  • But there is hidden, symbolic meaning to the manifest content that represents our unconscious wishes (Latent Content)

• Some believe that dreams help us solidify our memories (the brain is practicing)

• Activation-Synthesis Theory

  • Neurons fire randomly while we sleep and our brain attempts to make sense of the randomness

Meditation:

• Definition: A deep state of relaxation

• Generally, the way it works is the person focuses on a Mantra (music, a picture, a picture in the mind, etc.)

• Deep breathing allows your body to relax

• Idea is to get your mind free of thoughts, release stress, and lower your blood pressure

Hypnosis:

• Definition: A state of altered consciousness in which people become highly suggestible and do not use critical thinking skills

• Facts about hypnosis:

  • It is not sleep

  • Imagination cooperates with suggestions from hypnotists

  • Subject must want to cooperate, it is not the domination of one over the other

  • The subject won’t do things against their will

• Some benefits of hypnosis are pain relief, and post-hypnotic suggestion, a method in which a suggestion is made that should continue even after the hypnotic trance is broken