Nature versus Nurture Ms. Simon October 18, 2010

1. Nature versus NurtureMs. SimonOctober 18, 2010

2. Homework • Read Myers pgs 95-107 Answer Questions on Website

3. Do Now: How are you like your parents? How are you different from your parents?

5. Aim: To what extent do our genes and environment contribute to our psychology?

6. Nature, Nurture, and Human Diversity

7. Genes: Our Codes for Life Chromosomes contain DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) are situated in the nucleus of a cell. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosome for a total of 46

8. Genes: Our Codes for Life Segments within DNA consist of genes that make proteins to determine our development.

9. Genome Genome is the set of complete genetic instructions for making an organism How do our genes make us who we are?

10. Behavior Genetics: Predicting Individual Differences

11. Twin Biology Studying the effects of heredity and environment on two sets of twins, identical and fraternal, has come in handy.

12. Twins and Procedures Behavior geneticists’ effects of shared and unique environments on total or partial genetic makeup.

13. Separated Twins

14. Separated Twins Critics of separated twin studies note that such similarities can be found between strangers. Bob Sacha

15. Adoption Studies Adoption studies, as opposed to twin studies, suggest that adoptees tend to be different from their adoptive parents and siblings.

16. Adoptive Studies Adoptive studies strongly point to the simple fact that biologically related children turn out to be different in a family. So investigators ask: Do siblings have differing experiences? Do siblings, despite sharing half of their genes, have different combinations of the other half of their genes? Ultimate question: Does parenting have an effect?

17. Parenting Parenting does have an effect on biologically related and unrelated children.

18. Temperament Studies Temperament refers to a person’s stable emotional reactivity and intensity.

19. Heritability Heritability refers to the extent to which the differences among people are attributable to genes.

20. Heritability Examples Personality: Mental Ability: Schizophrenia: Depression: Alcoholism:

21. Group Differences If genetic influences help explain individual diversity in traits, can the same be said about group differences? .

22. Nature and Nurture Genes provide choices for the organism to change its form or traits when environmental variables change. Therefore, genes are self-regulating.

23. Genes self-regulate in uteru • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuWTmd4f7lo

24. Gene-Environment Interaction Genes can influence traits which affect responses, and environment can affect gene activity. Example: A genetic predisposition that makes a child restless and hyperactive evokes an angry response from his parents. A stressful environment can trigger genes to manufacture neurotransmitters leading to depression.

25. Gene-Environment Interaction Genes and environment affect our traits individually, but more important are their interactive effects. Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters/Corbis Rex Features

26. What is the fundamental goal of all living things? TO SPREAD OUR GENES!

27. Evolutionary Psychology: Understanding Human Nature Molecular genetics studies why we as organisms are distinct. Evolutionary psychology studies why we as humans are alike. In particular, it studies the evolution of behavior and mind using principles of natural selection.

28. What is natural selection? Natural selection is an evolutionary process through which adaptive traits are passed on to ongoing generations What traits would be selected for?

29. Artificial Selection Biologists like Belyaev and Trut (1999) were able to artificially rear and domesticate wild foxes, selecting them for friendly traits. L.N. Trur, American Scientist (1999) 87: 160-169 Any trait that is favored naturally or artificially spreads to future generations.

30. Human Traits A number of human traits have been identified as a result of pressures afforded by natural selection. ……Can you think of any?

31. Why do infants fear strangers when they become mobile?

32. Why are most parents so passionately devoted to their children?

33. Why do people fear spiders and snakes and not electricity and guns?

34. How do our early experiences, our family, our community and our culture affects these differences? Parents and Early Experiences We have looked at how genes influence our developmental differences. What about the environment? We begin with the prenatal environment.

35. Prenatal Environment Identical twins who share the same placenta (b) are more alike than those who do not (a), suggesting prenatal influences on psychological traits.

36. 1. Intense and reactive infants become unusually anxious and aroused when facing new or strange situations. This best illustrates the importance of: a. the X chromosome. b. temperament. c. personal space. d. individualism. 2. Estimates of the heritability of personality traits are most directly associated with the research efforts of: a. social learning theorists. b. behavior geneticists. c. evolutionary psychologists. d. gender schema theorists. 3. In emphasizing that heredity's effects on behavior depend on a person's home environment, psychologists are highlighting the importance of: a. the double helix. b. gene complexes. c. collectivism. d. nature-nurture interactions. 4. Bacteria that resist a hospital's antibiotics rapidly multiply as other bacteria die off. This best illustrates: a. collectivism. b. behavior genetics. c. heritability. d. natural selection. 5. It has been suggested that men in all cultures tend to marry women younger than themselves because men are genetically predisposed to seek female features associated with youthful fertility. This suggestion best illustrates: a. social learning theory. b. behavior genetics. c. Freudian psychology. d. an evolutionary perspective. 6. Premature babies are especially likely to gain weight if stimulated by: a. sound and music. b. light and colors. c. touch and massage. d. movement and acceleration. 7. At a social gathering, Latin Americans may behave in a manner that North Americans consider intrusive and overly expressive. This best illustrates the importance of being sensitive to differing: a. norms. b. gene complexes. c. gender identities. d. heritability estimates. 8. Displays of self-effacing humility are most characteristic of those who value: a. individualism. b. gender-typing. c. collectivism. d. gender-schemas. 9. Over the last century, Western parents have placed ________ priority on teaching children to respect and obey parents and ________ priority on teaching them loyalty to their country. a. decreasing; increasing b. increasing; decreasing c. decreasing; decreasing d. increasing; increasing 10. Adolescent females spend: a. more time alone and more time praying than do adolescent males. b. less time alone and less time praying than do adolescent males. c. more time alone and less time praying than do adolescent males. d. less time alone and more time praying than do adolescent males. 11. Jaquetta was exposed to excess testosterone during prenatal development. As a young girl, Jaquetta is likely to: a. prefer toy cars over dolls. b. exhibit superior verbal intelligence. c. develop a male gender identity. d. demonstrate a lack of gender schemas. 12. Concepts of masculinity and femininity that influence our perceptions are called gender: a. types. b. schemas. c. roles. d. complexes.

37. Evolutionary Psychologists believe that natural selection leads to differences in our behavior and minds.Why might this view be controversial? 37

38. Critiquing the Evolutionary Perspective Evolutionary psychologists take a behavior and work backward to explain it in terms of natural selection. Evolutionary psychology proposes genetic determinism and undercuts morality in establishing society. Where genders are unequal, gender preferences are wide, but when they are closely equal, preferences narrow down. 38

39. Evolutionary Psychologists Reply Evolutionary psychologists argue that we need to test behaviors that expound evolutionary principles. Evolutionary psychologists remind us how we have adapted, but do not dictate how we ought to be. Males and females are more alike than different, and if we study these differences we can establish their causes. 39

40. The New Frontier: Molecular Genetics Molecular genetics asks the question, “Do genes influence behavior?” 40

41. Molecular Genetics: Promises and Perils Molecular geneticists are trying to identify genes that put people at risk for disorders. What might be an ethical concern? 41

42. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7OYCmynrRU 42

43. Biology of Sex: 23rd pair of chromosomes If the pair is XX, a female is produced. If the pair is XY, a male child is produced.

44. Which parent determines the child’s sex? The Father

45. Sexual Differentiation The male fetus is exposed to testosterone (because of the Y chromosome), which leads to the development of male genitalia. If low levels of testosterone are released in the uterus, the result is a female.

46. Testosterone causes developmental differences between male and female brains ….That may account for stereotyped differences in male and female behavior since infancy

47. Sexual Differentiation Sexual differentiation is not only biological, but also psychological and social. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1376391023990365282#docid=6170255473170788798

48. Do Now: How do girls and boys behave differently?

49. AIM: Why are human males and females different?

50. Gender Roles Our culture shapes our gender roles — expectations of how men and women are supposed to behave. Gender Identity — means how a person views himself or herself in terms of gender.