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Psych Ch.3
The Nature and Nurture of Behavior
Question | Answer |
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chromosomes | threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain genes. |
DNA | a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes. |
genes | the biochemical units of heretity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a prtien. |
genome | the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in its chromosomes. The human genome has 3 billion weakly bonded pairs of nucleotides organized as coiled chains of DNA. |
natural selection | the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased nreproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations. |
mutation | a random error in gene replication that leads to a change in the sequence of nucleotides; the sourse of all genetic diversity. |
evolutionary psychology | the study of evolution ofbehavior and themind, using principles of natual selection. Natural selection has favored genes that designed both behavioral tendencies and information-processing systems that solved adaptive problems faced by our ancestors. |
gender | in psychology,the characteristics, whether biologically or socially influenced, by which people define male and female. |
behavior genetics | the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior. |
environment | every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us. |
identical twins | twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms. |
temperment | a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity. |
heritability | the proportion of variation among individuals the we can attribute to genes. |
interaction | the dependence of the effect of one factor (such as environment) on another factor (such as heredity). |
molecular genetics | the subfeild of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes. |
culture | the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted fromone generation to the next. |
norm | an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe "prper" behavior. |
personal space | the buffer zone we like tomaintain around our bodies. |
memes | self-replicating ideas, fashions, and innovations passed from person to person. |
X chromosome | the sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two; men have one. |
Y chromosome | the sex chromosome found only in males. |
testosterone | the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testasterone in males make their sex characteristics. |
role | a set of expections (norms) about social positions, defining how those in the position ought to behave. |
gender role | a set of expected behaviors for males and for females. |
gender identity | one's sence of being male or female. |
gender-typing | the aquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role. |
social learning theory | the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished. |
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. |