PSY352H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Comparative Psychology, Allele Frequency, Genetic Code
Document Summary
Do not interpret meaning of behaviour when measuring. Important to understand how the nervous system causes behaviours (mechanistic) What is their adaptive function and how did they come about. Evolution: poly-allele frequency from one generation to the next. Genetic drift: random stochastic changes in allele frequencies. Can study complex human behaviours by observing simple animal behaviours. Many methods would not be feasible on humans. Creating human disease models in animals allows for the study of mechanistic questions regarding the disease. Should focus on behavioural phenomena and ignore the species-specific influence on behaviour. To understand behaviour we must understand the motivation of behaviours (species-specific) Set up controlled environment that is as naturalistic as possible. Aware of evolutionary past and what environmental conditions; how species of interest perceives. Geological changes can only happen if there is enough time for seabeds to rise. Time is key in allowing for evolutionary change. Genetic code: how nucleotide sequence is read (codons)
