Psychology 1000 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Parental Investment, Absolute Threshold, Detection Theory
3 Jun 2018
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Genes, Evolution, and Behaviour
Behaviour Genetics Techniques
• Heritability coefficient – extent to which the degree of variation in a particular
characteristic among a group of people can be attributed to genetic factors
• Concordance – the likelihood that two people share a particular characteristic
• Adoption study – study of children who were adopted by comparing to both sets of
parents
o More similar to biological: genetic influence
o More similar to adoptive: environmental influence
• Adoptive and twin studies have shown that many psychological characteristics have a
notable genetic contribution
Genetic Influence on Behaviour
• Intelligence based largely on genetics, but also influenced by environment
o Identical twins raised together have higher correlation on IQ scores than
identical twins raised apart
• Reaction range – range of possibilities (upper and lower limits) that the genetic code
allows for a genetically influenced trait
o Environmental effects determine where individual falls within the boundaries
• Ideal method approach to observe genetics and personality would be to observe
personality traits in identical and fraternal twins who were reared together or apart
o Would allow division of total variation among individuals on personality traits
into three components:
▪ Variation attributable to genetic factors
▪ Variation due to a shared family environment among those reared
together
▪ Variation attributable to other factors, such as unique individual
experiences
o Studies have shown that identical twins are far more similar in personality than
fraternal twins, even if reared apart
Evolution and Behaviour
• Evolution – change over time in the frequency with which particular genes occur within
a population
o Genetic variation can arise through mutations
• Natural selection – characteristics that increase the likelihood of survival and ability to
reproduce within a particular environment will be more likely to be preserved in the
population, and become more common over time
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PSYCH 1000 Full Course Notes
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