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major issues
major issues in biological psychology
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Artificial selection | change in the frequencies of various genes in a population because of a breeder's selection of desired individuals for mating purposes |
| Autosomal gene | gene on any of the chromosomes other than the sex chromosomes (X and Y) |
| Biological psychology | study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behavior and experience |
| Chromosome | strand of DNA bearing the genes |
| Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) | double-stranded chemical that composes the chromosomes; it serves as a template for the synthesis of RNA |
| Dizygotic twins | fraternal (nonidentical) twins |
| Dominant gene | gene that shows a strong effect in either the homozygous or heterozygous condition |
| Enzymes | any proteins that catalyze biological reactions |
| Evolution | change in the frequencies of various genes in a population over generations |
| Evolutionary explanation | understanding in terms of the evolutionary history of a species |
| Evolutionary psychology | field that deals with how behaviors have evolved |
| Fitness | number of copies of one's genes that endure in later generations |
| Functional explanation | understanding why a structure or behavior evolved as it did |
| Gene | unit of heredity that maintains its structural identity from one generation to another |
| Hard problem | philosophical question of why and how any kind of brain activity is associated with consciousness |
| Heritability | estimate of the degree to which variance in a characteristic depends on variations in heredity for a given population |
| Heterozygous | having two unlike genes for a given trait |
| Homozygous | having two identical genes for a given characteristic |
| Identity position | view that mental processes are the same as certain kinds of brain processes but described in different terms |
| Kin selection | selection for a gene because it benefits the individual's relatives |
| Lamarckian evolution | discredited theory that evolution proceeds through the inheritance of acquired characteristics |
| Materialism | view that everything that exists is material, or physical |
| Mentalism | view that only the mind really exists |
| Mind body problem or mind brain problem | question of how the mind is related to the brain |
| Monism | theory that only one kind of substance exists in the universe (not separate physical and mental substances) |
| Monozygotic twins | identical twins, derived from a single fertilized egg |
| Multiplier effect | tendency for small genetic or prenatal influences to change the environment in a way that magnifies the change |
| Ontogenetic explanation | understanding in terms of how a structure or a behavior develops |
| Phenylketonuria (PKU) | inherited inability to metabolize phenylalanine, leading to mental retardation unless the afflicted person stays on a strict low-phenylalanine diet throughout childhood |
| Physiological explanation | understanding in terms of the activity of the brain and other organs |
| Problem of other minds | difficulty of knowing whether other people or animals have conscious experiences |
| Recessive gene | gene that shows its effects only in the homozygous condition |
| Reciprocal altruism | helping individuals who may later be helpful in return |
| Ribonucleic acid (RNA) | single strand chemical; one type of an RNA molecule serves as a template for the synthesis of protein molecules |
| Sex-limited gene | gene that exerts its effects primarily in one sex because of activation by androgens or estrogens, although members of both sexes may have the gene |
| Sex-linked gene | gene on either the X or the Y chromosome |
| Solipsism | philosophical position that I alone exist or I alone am conscious |
| X chromosome | chromosome of which female mammals have two and males have one |
| Y chromosome | chromosome of which female mammals have none and males have one |
Created by:
jondoh
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