Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY

1. Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY Chapter 3 The Nature and Nurture Of Behavior

2. Genes: Our Biological Blueprint • Chromosomes • threadlike structures made of DNA that contain the genes • DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) • complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes • has two strands-forming a “double helix”--held together by bonds between pairs of nucleotides

3. Genes: Our Biological Blueprint • Genes • biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes • a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein • Genome • the complete instructions for making an organism • consisting of all the genetic material in its chromosomes

4. Nucleus Chromosome Gene Cell DNA Genes: Their Location and Composition

5. Evolutionary Psychology • Natural Selection • the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations • Mutations • random errors in gene replication that lead to a change in the sequence of nucleotides • the source of all genetic diversity

6. Evolutionary Psychology • Evolutionary Psychology • the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using the principles of natural selection • Gender • in psychology, the characteristics, whether biologically or socially influenced, by which people define male and female

7. Evolutionary Psychology • Men preferred attractive physical features suggesting youth and health • Women preferred resources and social status

8. Behavior Genetics • Behavior Genetics • study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior • Environment • every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

9. Identical twins Fraternal twins Same sex only Same or opposite sex Behavior Genetics • Identical Twins • develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms • Fraternal Twins • develop from separate eggs • genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share the fetal environment

10. Behavior Genetics • Temperament • a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity • Heritability • the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes • may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied

11. Behavior Genetics • Interaction • the dependence of the effect of one factor (such as environment) on another factor (such as heredity) • Molecular Genetics • the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

12. Environmental Influence • Two placental arrangements in identical twins

13. Rat brain cell Impoverished environment Rat brain cell Enriched environment Environmental Influence • Experience affects brain development

14. Environmental Influence • A trained brain

15. Environmental Influence • Culture • the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next • Norm • an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior

16. Environmental Influence • Personal Space • the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies • Memes • self-replicating ideas, fashions, and innovations passed from person to person

17. The Nature and Nurture of Gender • X Chromosome • the sex chromosome found in both men and women • females have two; males have one • an X chromosome from each parent produces a female child • Y Chromosome • the sex chromosome found only in men • when paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child

18. The Nature and Nurture of Gender • Testosterone • the most important of the male sex hormones • both males and females have it • additional testosterone in males stimulates • growth of male sex organs in the fetus • development of male sex characteristics during puberty • Role • a set of expectations (norms) about a social position • defining how those in the position ought to behave

19. The Nature and Nurture of Gender • Gender Role • a set of expected behaviors for males and females • Gender Identity • one’s sense of being male or female • Gender-typing • the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role

20. The Nature and Nurture of Gender • Gender and Culture

21. The Nature and Nurture of Gender

22. The Nature and Nurture of Gender • Social Learning Theory • theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished • Gender Schema Theory • theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly

23. The Nature and Nurture of Gender • Two theories of gender typing