Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Genetics, Evolutionary Psych, and Behavior
Genetics, Evolutionary Psych, and Behavior
Genetics, Evolutionary Psych, and Behavior
master code for your entire body The plans of your own book of life run to 46 chapters- 23 from mom, 23 from dad Each of these 46 chapters called chromosomes, is composed of a coiled chain of the molecule DNA Genes-small segments of the giant DNA molecule
Genes
30,000 or so genes
influenced traits, help explain our shared human nature and our human diversity
Genetics
Works the same in all species
dont always have the same number of copies of those genes Most identical twin share a placenta during prenatal development, but one of every three sets has two separate placentas. One twins placenta may provide slightly better nourishment, which may contribute to identical twin differences.
Identical vs Fraternal
Identical Monozygotic
One zygote that split during early pregnancy 2 different eggs produced during the same menstrual cycle that were fertilized at the same time
Dizygotic
Identical twins
Share 100% of the same genes
Same genotype
Can have different phenotypes Mirror images of each other Different personalities and interests
Heritability of a trait doesnt mean it will occur even in 2 people who share the same genes
identical personalities than those reared together, still they were more alike if genetically identical than if fraternal Genes influence personality
related or not, do not much resemble one another in personality In traits such as extraversion and agreeableness, adoptees are more similar to their biological parents than to their caregiving adoptive parents The environment shared by a familys children has virtually no discernible impact on their personalities
values, manners, faith, and politics A pair of adopted children or identical twin will, especially during adolescence, have more similar religious beliefs if reared together
Heredity
Refers to the extent to which differences among
people are attributable to genes As environments become more similar, heredity as a source of difference necessarily becomes more important
Confused??
Herit A part of the more familiar word, inherit.
If a trait is passed on from one generation to the next, then it is capable of showing up in the children of people who posses that quality
To clarify
Just because a trait is heritable does NOT mean it
will affect an individual or that it will be a defining trait of a group. Heritability only demonstrates the extend to which a trait is explainable by genetics, but not the extend to which the trait will affect behavior or an individual or group outside of environmental influences
develop a condition, only that it will be more likely to occur if the right environmental influences interact with those genes
behavioral hallmark of our species- is our enormous adaptive capacity Genes and Environment
environmental influences
Ethical or not?
Evolutionary Psychology
Understanding Human Nature
Evolutionary Psychologists
Focus mostly on what makes us so much alike as
humans They use C. Darwins principle of natural selection to understand roots of behavior and mental processes
Darwins idea
Organisms varied offspring compete for survival
organisms reproductive and survival chances in their particular environment Offspring that survive are more likely to pass their genes to ensuing generations Thus, over time, population characteristics may change Our adaptive flexibility in responding to different environments contributes to our fitness- our ability to survive and reproduce
species over time It is about how genetics and environment interact, leading to changes in genetics to fit the environment It is about how traits that lead to survival are more likely to be passed down
Human similarities
Emotional drives and reasoning have a common
logic across cultures Our shared human traits were shaped by natural selection acting over the course of human evolution Our behavioral and biological similarities arise from our shared human genome. No more than 5%of the genetic differences among humans arise from population group differences. 95% of genetic variation exists within populations
selected, behavioral tendencies and thinking and learning capacities emerged that prepared our Stone Age ancestors to survive, reproduce, and send their genes into the future
can compute complex mathematical formulas Current adaptive mechanisms in humans are not optimally designed Organisms do not have a conscious or unconscious goal of maximizing gene reproduction
already knew the great truths of life (idealism) or whether great truths are learned through experience (Empiricism) John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued over whether an individual is born as a tabula rasa or with unfulfilled potential Freud and Watson argued over whether people were born with innate, unchecked tendencies (the id) or as balls of putty ready to be shaped by experience
SocialCultural Influence
Individual Development
Biological Influence
Shared human genome
Psychological influences
Gene-environment interaction
Social-cultural influences
Parental influences
Peer influences
Cultural attitudes and norms
unlikely
The last century has been amazing for psychology and biology
Unfathomable to people in 1909 Neurons fire using an ion-exchange system Machines can see the brain at work in real time Language is processed mainly in the left hemisphere Humans share 99.9% of the genetic code with chimpanzees