BIOC51H3 Lecture : Readings 11 notes
11 Aug 2010
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Readings 11
Pg208-210
-eugenic sterilization is sought to reduce the fitness of particular genotypes to zero and thereby
to reduce the frequency of the allele responsibly for undersirable phenotypes
-feeblemindedness is defined as one who is capable of earning his/her living under favourable
circumstances but is incapable of competing on equal terms with his/her normal fellows or of
managing him/herself and their affairs with ordinary prudence
-normalmindedness was believed to be the dominant trait and feeblemindedness was believed
to be recessive
-rare recessive alleles decline in frequency slowly even under strong selection
-most copies of the allele for feeblemindedness are present in heterozygous carriers rather
than affected individuals
-although feeblemindedness is not among them, many genetic diseases are now known to be
inherited as simple Mendelian traits
-eugenic sterilization has few advocates because most genetic diseases are recessive an rare
-sterilization of affected individuals would have little impact on the frequency at which new
affected individuals are born
Pg350-355
-any estimate of heritability is specific to a particular population living in a particular
environment
-heritability tells us nothing about the causes of differences between populations that live in
different environments
-the fact that heritability is high in each population tells us nothing about the cause of
differences between the populations, because the populations were reared in different
environments
-Murray and Herrnstein claimed that the difference in average IQ scores between African
Americans and European Americans is due to genetic differences between these groups
-Murray and Herrnstein consider the proposition that the difference between average IQ of the
African Americans and that of European Americans is solely due to differences in environment
-ZÁ}]}µ(oÁ]vDµÇv,v]v[Pµuv
-the first flaw is that they assume that there is a linear relationship between environment and
IQ
-Z}v(oÁ]ZDµÇv,v]v[Pµuv(}uZ]}Áv]vµo]Çu}µv
to rhetorical technique, not science
-if adoption studies were to be done, even though children would be reared in similar families,
their differences in appearance might therefore cause differential treatment by their parents
-hypothetical claims about the causes of differences between populations are no substitute for
experimental results
-heritability tells us nothing about the role of genes in determining traits that are shared by
all members of a population
-heritability on allows us to predict whether selection on the trait will cause a population to
evolve
www.notesolution.com
Document Summary
Eugenic sterilization is sought to reduce the fitness of particular genotypes to zero and thereby to reduce the frequency of the allele responsibly for undersirable phenotypes. Feeblemindedness is defined as one who is capable of earning his/her living under favourable circumstances but is incapable of competing on equal terms with his/her normal fellows or of managing him/herself and their affairs with ordinary prudence. Normalmindedness was believed to be the dominant trait and feeblemindedness was believed to be recessive. Rare recessive alleles decline in frequency slowly even under strong selection. Most copies of the allele for feeblemindedness are present in heterozygous carriers rather than affected individuals. Although feeblemindedness is not among them, many genetic diseases are now known to be inherited as simple mendelian traits. Eugenic sterilization has few advocates because most genetic diseases are recessive an rare. Sterilization of affected individuals would have little impact on the frequency at which new affected individuals are born.
