Structure and Function of Genes CH3 10/08/2012
Evolutionary psychology: Emphasizes mechanisms that explain language learning, attention,
perception, memory, sexual behavior, cooperation, emotion, and reasoning
Behavioral genetics: Attempts to separate contributions of heredity and environment
To explain individual differences in personality, mental ability, and other characteristics
Human Body – Millions of Cells – Chromosomes – strands of DNA
(remember: AT, GC)
Studies: Search for genes associated with rare disorders.
Genes close to each other are likely to be inherited together
Family members with traits of impulsive behavior
Natural Selection: Individuals with genetic traits that are adaptive in the environment tend to survive
and reproduce
Charles Darwin
Ex. Survival skills such as avoiding poisonous foods (bitter)
“Survival of the Fittest”
Innate Human Characteristics: Infant reflexes
Interest in novelty
Desire to explore and manipulate objects
Impulse to play and fool around
Basic cognitive skills
Language: A system that combines meaningless elements (sounds or gestures) to form meaning
Noam Chomsky
Surface Structure: the way a sentence is spoken
Deep Structure: How a sentence is to be understood
Language Mental Module : If we don’t teach syntax to toddlers, brain must contain an innate
mental module
Children are born with universal grammar
Children:
Go through similar stages of linguistic development
Combine words in ways that adults never would
Learn to speak of sign correctly
Can development language of their own if not exposed to adult language
? => How do we know what children will do if not exposed to adult language—against
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