A. Behavior Genetics
Chromosomes containing DNA are situated in the nucleus of the cell
Segments within DNA consist of genes that make proteins to determine our development
Genome is the set of complete instructions for making an organism, containing all the genes in that organism. Thus, the human genome makes us human, and the genome for drosophila makes it a common housefly.
Studying the effects of heredity and environment on two sets of twins, identical (monozygotic) and fraternal (dizygotic), has come in handy.
A number of studies compared identical twins reared separately from birth, or close thereafter, and found numerous similarities.
1. When examining these two you are looking for concordance rates.
Critics of separated twin studies note that such similarities can be found between strangers. Researchers point out that differences in fraternal twins is more common than identical twins.
B. Adoptive Studies
Adoption studies, as opposed to twin studies, suggest that adoptees tend to be different from their adoptive parents and siblings.
Adoptive studies strongly point to the simple that that biologically related children turn out to be different in a family.
C. Parenting
Parenting does have an effect on biologically related and unrelated children
Temperament refers to a person’s stable emotional reactivity and intensity. Identical twin express similar temperaments, suggesting heredity predisposes temperament
D. Nature and Nurture
Some human traits are fixed, such as having two eyes. However, most psychological traits are liable to change with environmental experience.
Genes provide choices for the organism to change its form or traits when environmental variables change. Therefore, genes are pliable or self-regulating.
E. Gene-Environment Interaction
Genes can influence traits, which affect responses, and environment can affect gene activity.
Genes and environment affect our traits individually, but more important are their