Evolutionary Psychology October 17, 2011 Review: 2nd lecture: Talked about variance (cornerstone of Darwinian theory) MEDAITORS

OF VARIABILTY: mutation sex crossover Today: Human Variability Behaviour Genetics -Originally field of biology -merged with psych 20-30 yrs ago -NOW: harbors components of both -focuses on differences -degree to which heredity and environment determines individual differences - field began w/ animal research (b/c you can experimentally manipulate heredity and envrio with animals) 2 Types of Animal studies: 1. Selective Breeding Experiment - manipulate heredity and keep environment constant - Continuously breed rats with other rats that are high on a trait (rats that ar e low on traits with other low rats) -trait ex. Maze running, aggressiveness -THEN, expose animals that were bred to be high and bred to be low to identical environments (ex. Cage) -Test groups to see how much they differ -degree to which they differ reflects how much of trait is due to heredity 2. Inbreeding Experiments -keep heredity constant -breed parents to their offspring until they are genetically identical (20 gener ations) and breed them in different environments -Divide identical rats in 2 groups Non-experimental approaches w/ humans: 1. Naturalistic studies 2. Field Studies that simulate lab conditions in natural environment (2 con ditions: hold environment while heredity differs, vice versa) Condition 1: Heredity Varies while Environment held constant Compare Identical Twins: Same environment Compare identical twins (share 100% of genes) raised in same household w/ frater nal twins raised in same household (share 50% of genes) .45 height correlation w/ fraternal .90 height correlation w/ identical Condition 2: Environment differs while Heredity stays constant Ex: Identical twins raised apart -Identical twins are 100% genetically similar -No reason to expect that environment is similar -therefore any statistical correlation between them would be thought to be a fun

ction of heredity -Any correlation in any trait is evidence for the role of heredity .90 height correlation w/ identical wins raised separately -extra .10 assumed to be all the non-shared types -Shared Environment: Being raised in the same household in the same way by the s ame parents -Some of the methods through which behaviour geneticists examine the effects of heredity -How much contribution heredity makes to the environment HERITABILITY- defined statistically by the proportion of the phenotypic trait th at is determined by genes. -Simplest index of heritability is the condition of identical twins raised apart -correlation= direct expression of heritability (height: 90% of heritability) -if you find any correlation between twins raised apart, there would be an assoc iation between them that you would assume to be genetic -Heritability index: correlation btw identical twins raised apart is often infla ted because when identical twins are adopted out, may be matched to their biolog ical parents (a contaminant) -therefore, environments of identical twins raised apart are not ALWAYS different Correlation of identical twins raised together vs. correlation of fraternal twin s raised together r of identical twins: reflects shared environment and genetic component all in r of fraternal twins: reflects half of genetic component and all of envi ronment Method that takes into account environmental correlations: take the difference btw correlations in same environment and double it t o determine heritability ex: (.090-.45)*2 -Correlation for IQ of identical of twins raised apart is .72 -The heritability for IQ is .72 Additive VS. Non-Additive variance -behaviour geneticists have stats that can break down environmental effects DATA: -IQ has been most copiously studied in behaviour genetics b/c: -it is convenient (empirically based test originally designed to predict success in school) -it s easily accessible Heritability of IQ scores increases as children get older (particularly from mid dle childhood to adolescence ALSO: Environmental effects decrease during this time -WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?? -One theory-Parents get less involved with academic pursuits as you get older - Prof s theory: Piaget model: Intelligence is something that genetically ev olves through maturation Personality

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to what extent do genes account for diff in personality traits Eysenck: traditionally: focus on 3 traits: Extraversion (social mindedness) Neuroticism (tendency to be roused easily to negative emotions: fear, sa anger) Activity Level Heritability methods hover around .50 and .60

Minnesota Twin Project: -Bouchard and Siegel: focuses on twin studies and personality traits -Uses adopted twins raised apart and fraternal twins raised together as primary methods -By both of these methods the Bouchard studies have shown that the r goe s between .50 and .70 for a number of personality variables -Sense of wellbeing (optimism/pessimism)-one trait that is highly correlated wit h genetics -ex: people who won lottery w/ low sense of well being, pessimistic, neg ativistic, are still like this even after winning the lottery -Other variables that fall in the .50-.70 range: social potency (leadership abil ity), achievement need, need for intimacy, alienation aggression, need for contr ol, harm avoidance, risk taking, traditionalism, imagination, altruism, empathy - .3-.5 r (heritability) for conservativism (more trait oriented) -no heritability estimates for liberalism (too much variability?) -Heritability for 2 major forms of psychosis: Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar Mood Di sorder -.20-.60 -reason for variability: -different measures to assess these traits -diagnosis of psychosis = differential, a lot of ambiguity in diagnosis -These heritability studies are the only support the field has for the biologica l basis of these disorders, which is why they are important -other interpretations are possible for these psychosis (other things give you these traits) -not difficult to get a diagnosis for mental illness -once you get diagnosis it s impossible to prove yourself not mentally ill -have to be careful regarding genetic basis for mental illness -a lot of evidence for heritability of criminal behaviour - estimates vary but are convincing enough - doesn t mean that there is a gene for criminal behaviour -Testosterone is related to criminal behaviour -criminals and criminal lawyers have similar level of testosterone -impact of environment factors (poor= criminal, rich = criminal lawyer) -data can be misused Development of Personality -get heritability estimates btw .40=.60 -correlations in most personality traits as siblings (trait correlations for ide ntical twins raised apart can be higher than correlations of twins raised togeth er) shared environments influence personality - Whatever happens differently to you outside the home -most of the environment effects happen to you when you are outs ide of your home

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