Chapter 3 Key Terms (Psychology, Wade & Tavris)

Front 1

evolutionary psychology

Back 1

a field of psychology emphasizing evolutionary mechnaisms that may help explain human commonalities in cognition, development, emotion, social practices, and other areas of behavior

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behavioral genetics

Back 2

an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with the genetic bases of individual differences in behavior and personality

Front 3

genes

Back 3

the functional units of heredity; theya re composed of DNA and specify the structures of protiens

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chromosomes

Back 4

within every cell, rod-shaped structures that carry the genes

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DNA

Back 5

the chromosomal molecule that transfers genetic characteristics by way of coded instructions for the structure of proteins

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genome

Back 6

the full set of genes in each cell of an organism, together with noncoding DNA outside the genes

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genetic marker

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a segment of DNA that varies among individuals, has a known location on a chromosome, and can function as a genetic landmark for a gene involved in a physical or mental condition

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evolution

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a change in gene frequencies within a population over many generations; a mechanism by which geneticaly influenced characteristics of a population may change

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natural selection

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process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest

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language

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a system that combines meaningless elements such as sounds or gestures to form structured utterances that convey meaning

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computer neural networks

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mathematical models of the brain that "learn" by adjusting the connections among hypothetical neurons in response to incoming data

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sociobiology

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an interdisciplinary field that emphasizes evolutionary explanations of social behavior in animals, including human beings

Front 13

heritability

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a statstical estimate of the proportion of the total variance in some trait taht is attributable to genetic differences among individuals within a group

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identical twins (Monozygotic)

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twins that develop when a fertilized egg divides into two parts that develop into separate embyos

Front 15

fraternal twins (Dizygotic)

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twins that develop fromt wo separate eggs fertilized by different sperm; they are no more alike genetically than are any other pair of siblings

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intelligence quotient

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an index of intelligence, originally derived by diving mental age by chronological age and then multiplying by 100, but now derived by comparing an individuals score with the scores of others of the same age

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epigenetics

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the study of changes in gene expression due to mechanisms other than structural changes in DNA

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nativists

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emphasize genes and inborn characteristics (nature)

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empiricists

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focused on learning and experience (nurture)

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noncoding DNA

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lies outside the genes, once known as junk DNA

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linkage studies

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look for patterns of inheritance of genetic markers in large families with a particular condition (ex. depression, violence, schizophrenia)

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mutate

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when genes spontaneously change

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mental modules

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innate mental faculties that receive inputs from particular classes of objects and produce corresponding information about the world

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surface structure

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the way a sentence is actually spoken or signed

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deep structure

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how the sentence is to be understood

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syntax

Back 26

the rules of grammar in a language

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universal grammar

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Noam Chomsky's theory that all the world's languages share a similar underlying structure

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overregularizations

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occur when grammatical rules are incorrectly generalized to irregular cases where they do not apply

Front 29

Charles Darwin

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did not actually know about genes (their discovery had not been publicized yet) but he realized that a species characteristics must somehow be transmitted biologically from one generation to the next.

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Language Acquisition Device

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An innate mental module that allows young children to develop language if they are exposed to an adequate sampling of conversation.

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Psycholinguists

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Researchers who study the psychology of language.

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Social Darwinism

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The notion that the wealthy and successful are more reproductively fit than other people.

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Eugenics

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Aimed to "improve" the species through forced sterilization of low IQ people.