Karina Esparza

AP Psych B2
Unit 3C

Vocabulary: Quizlet Unit 3C

Unit Review Questions:

Behavior Genetics: Predicting Individual Differences
1. What are genes, and how do behavior geneticists explain our individual differences?
a. Chromosomes are coil of DNA containing gene segments that, when expressed,
cod for the proteins that form our body’s building blocks. Most human traits are
influenced by many genes acting together. Behavior geneticists explain our
individual differences through seeking genetic and environmental influences
upon our traits. For instance, they use and conduct studies of identical twins,
fraternal twins, and adoptive families help specify the influence of genetic nature
and environmental nurture, and the interaction between them.

2. What is the heritability, and how does it relate to individuals and groups?
a. Heritability is the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to
genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations
and environments studied. Heritable individual differences in traits need not
explain group differences. Genes mostly explain why some are taller than others,
but not why people today are taller than a century ago.

3. What is the promise of molecular genetics research?

a. Molecular geneticists study the molecular structure and function of genes. They
are working with psychologists on pinpointing genes that put people at risk for
such genetically influenced disorders. The promise of molecular genetics
research is to predict the risk of such genes so that steps could be done to
prevent problems before they happen.

Evolutionary Psychology: Understanding Human Nature

4. How do evolutionary psychologists use natural selection to explain behavior tendencies?
a. Evolutionary psychologists use natural selection to explain behavior tendencies
by seeking to understand it has shaped our traits and behavior. The principle of
natural selection states that variations increasing the odds or reproducing and
surviving are most likely to be passed onto future generations. Some variations
arise from mutations others from new gene combinations at conception. Darwin
anticipated the contemporary application of evolutionary principles in psychology.

5. How might an evolutionary psychologist explain gender differences in sexuality and

mating preferences?
a. An evolutionary psychologists might explain gender differences in sexuality by
applying principles of natural selection. Men more than women think about sex
 and misinterpret friendliness as a sexual interest. Women more than mend do
not approve of casual sex and have a relational view of sexual activity. This can
be reasoned out that men’s attraction to multiple healthy, fertile- appearing
partners increases their chances of spreading their genes widely. Because
women incubate and nurse babies, they increase their own and their children’s
chances of survival by searching for mates with the resources and the potential
for long- term investment in their joint offspring.

6. What are the key criticisms of evolutionary psychology?

a. Key criticisms of evolutionary psychology are that evolutionary psychologists
start with an effect and work backward to an explanation, that the evolutionary
perspective gives little emphasis to social influences, and that the evolutionary
viewpoint absolves people from taking responsibility for their sexual behavior.
Evolutionary psychologists respond that understanding our predispositions can
help us overcome them. They also cite the value of testable predictions based on
evolutionary principles, as well as the coherence and explanatory power of those
principles.

Multiple Choice
1. A
2. A
3. B
4. C
5. E
6. D
7. B
8. B
9. A
10. C
11. E
12. D
13. A
14. C
15. D
16.

FRQs
1.
a. Genes are the functional units of heredity which are composed of DNA and
specify the structure of proteins or the biochemical units of heredity that make up
the chromosome: segments of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein.
Chromosomes are within cells, rod- shaped structures that carry genes or
threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes. DNA
transfers genetics’ characteristics by way of coded instructions for the structure
 of proteins or a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes
up the chromosomes. Possible that anxiety disorders are a disorder that is
predisposed by certain genes that located in you chromosomes and part of your
DNA.
b. Heritability is the proportion of
2.
a. Disgust is a reaction of repulsion towards an object, place, or person because it
is infected, rotten, or dirty. The evolutionary function of disgust is to cause a
person to avoid things that may be a danger to our health and therefore a danger
to our survival
b. Intuition is an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought. As contrasted
with explicit, conscious reasoning. Intuition could help a person to survive by
enabling them to make a quick decision in an emergency situation that could lead
to their survival. Intuition could help a person make a decision without thinking
that could keep them out of harm’s way.
c. Self Identity/ sense of self could be described as all our thoughts and feelings
about ourselves, in an answer to the question “Who am I?” Also, this could be
defined as your ability to distinguish yourself from others in an answer to the
question: “Is that my arm?”
d. Kinship is blood relationship and the feeling of connection to people whom we
are biologically related to
e. Male promiscuity can be described as a possible tendency of a male human to
have sex with and possibly mate with multiple female humans. Due to the fact
that male humans are capable of creating multiple offspring with some ease,
male offspring might mate with multiple female individuals to ensure the survival
of their genetics
f. Female selectivity is the tendency of female humans to be more selective about
who they choose to mate with (with whom they choose to mate?) Due to the fact
that a female human’s reproductive abilities are somewhat limited, a female
might be more selective about her mate in order to acquire more beneficial
genes to mix with her own and to find a mate capable of protecting the offspring
created and therefore protecting her genetics

3.
a. The nature vs nurture argument is that genes or environment determine one’s
behavior.
b. The differences between fraternal twins and identical twins is that at conception,
fraternal twins are two separate sperms
c.