Ap Psych, Chapter 3 - Nature And Nurture Of Behavior

Front 1

chromosomes

Back 1

threadlike structures that are made of DNA molecules

contain genes

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DNA

Back 2

complex molecule containing the genetic makeup of a chromosome

forms a double helix

Front 3

genes

Back 3

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes

or a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

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genome

Back 4

complete instructions for making an organism; consists of all the genetic material in its chromosomes

human genome has 3 billion pairs of weakly-bonded nucleotides (forms coiled chains of DNA)

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natural selection

Back 5

principle that those that lead to increased reproduction rate and survival will most likely be passed on through generations

survival of the fittest

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mutation

Back 6

random error in gene replication

affects genetic diversity

Front 7

evolutionary psychology

Back 7

study of evolution of behavior and the mind

uses principles of natural selection

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gender

Back 8

characteristics by which people identify as male or female

different than sex

Front 9

behavior genetics

Back 9

study of relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

assesses differences in each other

Front 10

environment

Back 10

every nongenetic influence

from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

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identical twins

Back 11

twins who develop from a single, fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms

molly and anne

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fraternal twins

Back 12

twins who develop from separate eggs, sharing just a fetal environment

dad and toby

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temperament

Back 13

a person's emotional reactivity and intensity

different for everyone

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heritability

Back 14

proportion of variation among individuals that are attributed to genes

what traits your parents passed down

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interaction

Back 15

dependence of the effect of one factor on another factor

such as environment on heredity

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molecular genetics

Back 16

subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes

used in behavior genetics

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culture

Back 17

enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions held by a large group of people

passed on by one generation to the next

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norm

Back 18

understood rule for accepted and expected behavior

describes "proper" behavior in a society and is different for each society

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personal space

Back 19

buffer zone we like to maintain around ourselves

"bubble"

Front 20

memes

Back 20

self-replicating ideas, fashions, and innovations passed from person to person

these things change so rapidly that they are given their own term

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X chromosome

Back 21

sex chromosome given from the mother

found in both male and females

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Y chromosome

Back 22

sex chromosome given from the father

found only in males

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testosterone

Back 23

most important male hormone

males and females both have it, but males have additional

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role

Back 24

set of expectations about a social position and how they should behave

set of norms

Front 25

gender role

Back 25

set of expected behaviors for males and for females

often blurred

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gender identity

Back 26

one's sense of being a male or female

disregards biological dispositions...one can be born a male and identify as a female

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gender-typing

Back 27

acquisition of a traditional masculine and feminine role

some boys exhibit more masculine traits than others, and some girls exhibit more feminine traits than others

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social learning theory

Back 28

theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

assumes that we learn behaviors like this

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gender schema theory

Back 29

theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male or female

they adjust their behavior accordingly

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developmental psychology

Back 30

studies physical, cognitive, and social change

throughout life span

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zygote

Back 31

fertilized egg

2-week period of rapid cell division that forms an embryo

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embryo

Back 32

developing human organism

2-weeks through second month

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fetus

Back 33

developing human organism

9-weeks through birth

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teratogens

Back 34

agents that reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

chemicals and viruses

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fetal alcohol syndrome

Back 35

physical and mental abnormalities in children caused by pregnant woman's heaving drinking

in severe cases, causes noticeable facial misproportions

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rooting reflex

Back 36

baby's tendency when touched on the cheek to open mouth and search for a nipple

shows behavioral sequences in infants

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maturation

Back 37

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior

relatively uninfluenced by experience

Front 38

schema

Back 38

concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

mental molds

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assimilation

Back 39

interpreting one's new experience in terms of one's existing schemas

having a simple schema of a "dog" may cause a toddler to call all four-legged animals "doggies"

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accomodation

Back 40

adapting one's schemas to incorporate new info

toddlers will realize that "doggies" is too broad and narrow it

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cognition

Back 41

all mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

grows in distinct stages

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sensorimotor stage

Back 42

birth to 2 years

infants know the world mostly in terms of their senses

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object permanence

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awareness that that things exist and continue to exist after they disappear from sight

putting a ball under a blanket and whether or not they will know it still exists

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preoperational stage

Back 44

2 years to 6 or 7 years

child learns language but does not yet comprehend mental operations of concrete logic

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conservation

Back 45

principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in forms of objects

thin and tall cup vs short and wide cup, same amount of liquid

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egocentrism

Back 46

inability of a preoperational child to take another's point of view

terrible 2's

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theory of mind

Back 47

people's ideas about their own and other's mental states

about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts

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autism

Back 48

disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of other's states of mind

a child with autism fails to understand emotional signals from other people

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concrete operational stage

Back 49

6 or 7 years to 11 or 12 years

children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

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formal operational stage

Back 50

11 or 12 years

people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

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stranger anxiety

Back 51

fear of strangers that infants commonly display

begins at about 8 months

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attachment

Back 52

emotional tie with another person

shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver by showing distress on seperation

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critical period

Back 53

optimal period when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development

shortly after birth

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imprinting

Back 54

process which certain animals form attachments during early critical periods

jacob and renesmee (twilight)

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basic trust

Back 55

sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy

said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences

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self-concept

Back 56

sense of one's identity and personal worth

Front 57

adolescence

Back 57

transition period from childhood to adulthood

extends from puberty to independence

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puberty

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period of sexual maturation

person becomes able to reproduce

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primary sex characteristics

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body structures that make sexual reproduction possible

external genitalia

females- ovaries

males- testicles

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secondary sex characteristics

Back 60

nonreproductive sexual characteristics

females- hips and breasts AND APPARENTLY SHOULDERS

males- voice quality and body hair

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menarche

Back 61

first menstrual period

awful

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identity

Back 62

one's sense of self

an adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles

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intimacy

Back 63

ability to form close, loving relationships

primary task in late adolescence and early adulthood

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menopause

Back 64

time of natural cessation of menstruation

also refers to biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines

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Alzeimer's disease

Back 65

progressive and irreversible brain disorder

gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and physical functioning

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cross-sectional study

Back 66

people of different ages are compared to one another

helps conclude mental ability decline as a person ages

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longitudinal study

Back 67

same people are restudied and retested over a long period of time

revealed that intelligence remains stable until late in life

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crystallized intelligence

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one's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills

tends to increase with age

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fluid intelligence

Back 69

one's ability to speedily and abstractly reason

tends to decrease during late adulthood

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social clock

Back 70

culturally preferred timing of social events

marriage, parenthood, retirement...etc