PSYCH 104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Human Brain, Gender Identity, Mutation
Document Summary
Consider the case of brenda: born a boy, but raised as a girl after a botched circumcision. Never fit in; wanted to play rough games like the boys; became rebellious. Additional cases revealed that others born as boys, but raised as girls, did not turn out to be typical adult women. Some parts of who you are come from biology. A broad term for mind, encompassing emotions, desires, perceptions, and all other psychological processes. Nature and culture have shaped each other. Nature defined: physical world around us, including its laws and processes. Genes, hormones, brain structure, and other innate processes dictate one"s choices and actions. Focuses on how change occurs in nature. Natural selection decides which traits will endure, and which will disappear. Mutation: new gene or combination of genes. Social brain theory: animals with bigger brains live in larger, more complex social groups. Human brain evolved to enable human beings to have rich, complex social lives.
