PSC 142 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Zygosity, Empathic Concern, Selective Breeding
Document Summary
Ethology - the study of the bioevolutionary bases of behavior & development. Sensitive period - period of time that is optimal for the development of particular capacities or behaviors, & in which the individual is particularly sensitive to environmental influences that would foster these attributes. Altruism - a selfless concern for the welfare of others that is expressed through prosocial acts such as sharing, cooperating, comforting others, or helping. Empathy - the ability to experience the same emotions that someone else is experiencing. Behavioral genetics - the scientific study of how genotype interacts with environment to determine behavioral attributes such as intelligence, personality, & mental health. Genotype - the genetic endowment that an individual inherits. Phenotype - the ways in which a person"s genotype is expressed in observable or measurable characteristics. Heritability - the amount of variability in a trait that is attributable to hereditary factors.
