PS102 Study Guide - Guy Paul Morin, Polygraph, Realistic Conflict Theory
Document Summary
Reading: chapter 3 - genes, evolution and environment. Evolutionary psychology: emphasizes the evolutionary mechanisms that might help explain commonalities in language learning, attention, perception, memory, sexual behaviour, emotion, reasoning and many other aspects of human psychology. Behavioural genetics: interdisciplinary field of study concerned with the genetic bases of individual differences in behaviour and personality. Attempt to tease apart the relative contributions of heredity and environment to explain individual differences in personality, mental ability and other characteristics. Genes: functional units of heredity; are composed of dna and specify the structure of proteins - located on chromosomes. Chromosomes: within every cell, rod-shaped structures that carry the genes. Found in the centre (nucleus) of every cell. Dna: the chromosomal molecule that transfers genetic characteristics by way of coded instructions for the structure of proteins. Genome: the full set of genes in each cell of an organism. With the exception of sperm and egg cells. Most of these genes are found in other animals.
