Deck 11: Behavior Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology

Question 1

Compared with fraternal twins, identical twins are

A) less similar in their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and less similar in risk of being emotionally unstable.
B) more similar in their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and more similar in risk of being emotionally unstable.
C) equally similar in their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and more similar in risk of being emotionally unstable.
D) more similar in their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and equally similar in risk of being emotionally unstable.

Answer 1

more similar in their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and more similar in risk of being emotionally unstable.

Question 2

If a fraternal twin develops schizophrenia, the likelihood of the other twin developing serious mental illness is much lower than with identical twins. This suggests that

A) schizophrenia is caused by genes.
B) schizophrenia is influenced by genes.
C) environment is unimportant in the development of schizophrenia.
D) identical twins are especially vulnerable to mental disorders.

Answer 2

schizophrenia is influenced by genes.

Question 3

Adopted children are especially likely to have similar ________ if raised in the same home.

A) temperaments
B) genomes
C) personality traits
D) attitudes

Answer 3

attitudes

Question 4

Identical twins who have separate placentas are somewhat less similar than identical twins who share a placenta. This best illustrates the influence of ________ on development.

A) prenatal environments
B) genetic predispositions
C) gender
D) natural selection

Question 5

If chronic child abuse alters a victim's gene expression in such a fashion as to facilitate depression and suicide, this would be said to illustrate

A) a pruning process.
B) an epigenetic effect.
C) a reactive temperament.
D) culture shock.

Question 6

Identifying some of the specific genes that contribute to alcohol dependence would be of most direct interest to

A) evolutionary psychologists.
B) molecular geneticists.
C) social learning theorists.
D) Freudian psychologists.

Question 7

Which of the following is a major source of genetic diversity?

A) epigenetics
B) pruning
C) mutations
D) temperament

Question 8

It has been suggested that older men in all cultures tend to marry women younger than themselves because men are genetically predisposed to seek female features associated with youthful fertility. This suggestion best illustrates

A) social learning theory.
B) behavior genetics.
C) Freudian psychology.
D) an evolutionary perspective.

Question 9

In emphasizing that heredity's effects on behavior depend on a person's home environment, psychologists are highlighting the importance of

A) the double helix.
B) a pruning process.
C) temperament.
D) nature-nurture interactions.

Question 10

Intense and reactive infants become unusually anxious and aroused when facing new or strange situations. This best illustrates the importance of

A) the male chromosome.
B) temperament.
C) epigenetics.
D) DNA.

Question 11

Dr. Ross believes that principles of natural selection help explain why infants come to fear strangers about the time they become mobile. Dr. Ross is most likely a(n)

A) behavior geneticist.
B) molecular geneticist.
C) evolutionary psychologist.
D) molecular biologist.

Question 12

An organism's complete set of genetic instructions is called the

A) heritability index.
B) temperament.
C) double helix.
D) genome.

Question 13

Of the following, the best way to separate the effects of genes and environment in research is to study

A) fraternal twins.
B) identical twins.
C) adopted children and their adoptive parents.
D) identical twins raised in different environments.

Question 14

Evolutionary psychologists attribute the human tendency to fear snakes and heights to

A) gender.
B) the female chromosome.
C) temperament.
D) genetic predispositions.

Question 15

Heritability refers to the extent to which trait variations among individuals are attributable to their differing

A) ethnic identities.
B) temperaments.
C) genders.
D) genes.

Question 16

A pair of adopted children or identical twins reared in the same home are most likely to have similar

A) temperaments.
B) personalities.
C) religious beliefs.
D) emotional reactivity.

Question 17

Chromosomes are composed of

A) neurons.
B) synapses.
C) neurotransmitters.
D) deoxyribonucleic acid.

Question 18

Studies of the relative impact of nature and nurture on human differences in aggressiveness best illustrate the research efforts of

A) Freudian psychologists.
B) behavior geneticists.
C) evolutionary psychologists.
D) social learning theorists.

Question 19

Adoptive parents are LEAST likely to influence the ________ of their adopted children.

A) personality traits
B) religious beliefs
C) political attitudes
D) moral values

Question 20

The prevalence of genetically predisposed traits that have a reproductive advantage is best explained in terms of

A) neural connections.
B) natural selection.
C) behavior genetics.
D) pruning.

Question 21

Through natural selection, the traits that are most likely to be passed on to succeeding generations are those that contribute to

A) temperament.
B) survival.
C) aggressiveness.
D) social power.

Question 22

Adoption studies show that the personalities of adopted children

A) closely match those of their adoptive parents.
B) bear more similarities to their biological parents than to their adoptive parents.
C) closely match those of the biological children of their adoptive parents.
D) closely match those of other children reared in the same home, whether or not they are biologically related.

Question 23

Most human traits are

A) learned.
B) determined by a single gene.
C) influenced by many genes acting together.
D) unpredictable.

Question 24

Casual, impulsive sex is most frequent among

A) males with high circulating levels of testosterone.
B) males with traditional masculine attitudes.
C) females and males who are weakly gender typed.
D) females and males who are strongly gender typed.

Question 25

When evolutionary psychologists use the word fitness, they are specifically referring to

A) an animal's ability to adapt to changing environments.
B) the diversity of a species' gene pool.
C) the total number of members of the species currently alive.
D) our ability to survive and reproduce.

Question 26

Mutations are random errors in ________ replication.

A) gene
B) chromosome
C) DNA
D) protein

Question 27

The genome is best defined as

A) a complex molecule containing genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.
B) a segment of DNA.
C) the complete instructions for making an organism.
D) the code for synthesizing protein.

Question 28

Unlike ________ twins, who develop from a single fertilized egg, ________ twins develop from separate fertilized eggs.

A) fraternal; identical
B) identical; fraternal
C) placental; nonplacental
D) nonplacental; placental

Question 29

Several studies of long-separated identical twins have found that these twins

A) have little in common because of the different environments in which they were raised.
B) have many similarities, in everything from medical histories to personalities.
C) have similar personalities, but very different likes, dislikes, and lifestyles.
D) are no more similar than are fraternal twins reared apart.

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT true regarding gender and sexuality?

A) Men more often than women attribute a woman's friendliness to sexual interest.
B) Women are more likely than men to cite affection as a reason for first intercourse.
C) Men are more likely than females to initiate sexual activity.
D) Gender differences in sexuality are noticeably absent among gay men and lesbian women.

Question 31

A molecular geneticist would be most interested in studying

A) why most parents are so passionately devoted to their children.
B) environmental influences on skin color.
C) why certain diseases are more common among certain age groups.
D) which genes influence extraversion.

Question 32

Gender refers to

A) the biological and social definition of male and female.
B) the biological definition of male and female.
C) one's sense of being male or female.
D) the extent to which one exhibits traditionally male or female traits.

Question 33

Each cell of the human body has a total of

A) 23 chromosomes.
B) 23 genes.
C) 46 chromosomes.
D) 46 genes.

Question 34

According to evolutionary psychology, men are drawn sexually to women who seem ________, while women are attracted to men who seem ________.

A) nurturing; youthful
B) youthful and fertile; mature and affluent
C) slender; muscular
D) exciting; dominant

Question 35

Evolutionary explanations of gender differences in sexuality have been criticized because

A) they offer "after-the-fact" explanations.
B) standards of attractiveness vary with time and place.
C) they underestimate cultural influences on sexuality.
D) of all of these reasons.

Question 36

Temperament refers to a person's characteristic

A) emotional reactivity and intensity.
B) attitudes.
C) behaviors.
D) role-related traits.

Question 37

Genes direct our physical development by synthesizing

A) hormones.
B) proteins.
C) DNA.
D) chromosomes.

Question 38

Evolutionary psychologists attribute gender differences in sexuality to the fact that women have

A) greater reproductive potential than do men.
B) lower reproductive potential than do men.
C) weaker sex drives than men.
D) stronger sex drives than men.

Question 39

Chromosomes are composed of a coiled chain of

A) DNA molecules that contain genes.
B) DNA molecules that contain neurotransmitters.
C) DNA molecules that contain endorphins.
D) DNA molecules that contain enzymes.

Question 40

Physiological tests reveal that anxious, inhibited infants

A) become less physiologically aroused when facing new situations.
B) have slow, steady heart rates.
C) have high and variable heart rates.
D) have underreactive nervous systems.

Question 41

Chromosomes are contained within

A) brain cells.
B) sperm cells.
C) blood cells.
D) all of these types of cells.

Question 42

The impact of our cultural backgrounds on the development of our personal values best illustrates the influence of

A) temperament.
B) mutations.
C) heritability.
D) the environment.

Question 43

Depending on environmental conditions, specific genes can be either

A) proteins or chemicals.
B) active or inactive.
C) identical or fraternal.
D) structured or unstructured.

Question 44

The study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior and personality traits is known as

A) molecular genetics.
B) evolutionary psychology.
C) behavior genetics.
D) genome research.

Question 45

A human sperm cell contains

A) 23 chromosomes.
B) 23 genes.
C) 46 chromosomes.
D) 46 genes.

Question 46

A behavior geneticist would be most interested in studying hereditary influences on

A) skin color.
B) sexual anatomy.
C) physical attractiveness.
D) personality traits.

Question 47

At about eight months of age, people across the world start to ________ strangers; as adults, they prefer the company of those whose attributes are ________ to their own.

A) fear; similar
B) enjoy; different
C) fear; different
D) enjoy; similar

Question 48

Compared with identical twins, fraternal twins are ________ similar in neuroticism and ________ similar in risk of divorcing.

A) more; less
B) less; more
C) more; more
D) less; less

Question 49

Every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us, is an aspect of our

A) temperament.
B) genome.
C) environment.
D) natural selection.

Question 50

Beginning early in their prenatal developments, fraternal twins are

A) the same gender.
B) dizygotic.
C) placental.
D) epigenetic.

Question 51

A segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a specific protein is called a

A) gene.
B) mutation.
C) chromosome.
D) neurotransmitter.

Question 52

An evolutionary psychologist would be most interested in studying

A) why most parents are so passionately devoted to their children.
B) hereditary influences on skin color.
C) why certain diseases are more common among certain age groups.
D) genetic differences in personality.

Question 53

Identical twins originate from the fertilization of

A) a single egg cell by a single sperm cell.
B) two egg cells by a single sperm cell.
C) a single egg cell by two sperm cells.
D) two egg cells by two sperm cells.

Question 54

When the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another (such as heredity), we say there is a(n) ________ between the two factors.

A) norm
B) positive correlation
C) negative correlation
D) interaction

Question 55

The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes are called

A) genes.
B) sperm.
C) epigenetic molecules.
D) neurotransmitters.

Question 56

DNA is a complex

A) sex hormone.
B) genome.
C) molecule.
D) synapse.

Question 57

The genome is the complete

A) collection of sexual characteristics regulated by the chromosomes.
B) range of traits that contribute to reproductive success.
C) set of genetic material in an organism's chromosomes.
D) set of interactions between genes and environments.

Question 58

Identical twins are most likely to share a similar prenatal environment if they share the same

A) placenta.
B) reproductive capacity.
C) adaptability.
D) fitness.

Question 59

Twin studies suggest that Alzheimer's disease is influenced by

A) fertility.
B) gender.
C) heredity.
D) mutations.

Question 60

Dante is healthier than his twin brother because he developed with a better placental barrier against viruses. This best illustrates the impact of ________ on development.

A) temperament
B) gender
C) prenatal environment
D) genetic predispositions

Question 61

Difficult babies with an intense and highly reactive temperament tend to be

A) intelligent and imaginative.
B) irritable and unpredictable.
C) fearless and assertive.
D) extraverted and cheerful.

Question 62

A child's temperament is likely to be

A) difficult to observe.
B) stable over time.
C) a product of parenting style.
D) a reflection of his or her gender.

Question 63

An infant's temperament refers most directly to its

A) ability to learn.
B) social connectedness.
C) emotional excitability.
D) physical health.

Question 64

The labels "easy," "difficult," and "slow-to-warm-up" are used to refer to differences in an infant's

A) genome.
B) epigenetics.
C) temperament.
D) adaptability.

Question 65

Although identical twins have been shown to have some amazing psychological similarities, one should be cautious about attributing these similarities to genetic factors because

A) the twins may have been raised in completely different environments.
B) genetic factors influence physical, not psychological, characteristics.
C) any two strangers are likely to share a string of coincidental similarities.
D) many fraternal twins have been shown to be psychologically different from each other.

Question 66

One form of a gene that regulates the neurotransmitter serotonin contributes to the development of

A) the genome.
B) a person's gender schemas.
C) a fearful temperament.
D) Alzheimer's disease.

Question 67

The home environment most clearly has a greater influence on children's ________ than on their ________.

A) temperament; political attitudes
B) extraversion; table manners
C) religious beliefs; personality traits
D) gender identity; gender schemas

Question 68

The personalities of adopted children

A) are very similar to the personalities of the other children in their adoptive families.
B) are very similar to the personalities of their biologically related siblings.
C) are not very similar to the personalities of their adoptive parents.
D) are more similar to the personalities of their caregiving adoptive parents than to the personalities of their biological parents.

Question 69

Environmental influences on personality traits are most clearly highlighted by comparing

A) identical twins raised together with fraternal twins raised apart.
B) identical twins raised together with fraternal twins raised together.
C) identical twins raised apart with fraternal twins raised together.
D) identical twins raised together with identical twins raised apart.

Question 70

Identifying specific DNA sequences associated with the traits of anger and anxiety best illustrates a potential benefit of

A) evolutionary psychology.
B) a pruning process.
C) selective breeding.
D) molecular behavior genetics.

Question 71

We are likely to ________ the personality similarities among children in the same family, and we are likely to ________ the personality similarities between parents and their children.

A) overestimate; underestimate
B) underestimate; overestimate
C) underestimate; underestimate
D) overestimate; overestimate

Question 72

Heritability refers to the extent to which

A) unrelated individuals share common genes.
B) genetic mutations can be transmitted to one's offspring.
C) trait differences among individuals are attributable to genetic variations.
D) adult personality is determined by infant temperament.

Question 73

Juan and Alonzo are fraternal twin brothers, whereas Jake and Alex are identical twin brothers. The similarities between Jake and Alex with respect to ________ are likely to be greater than the similarities between Juan and Alonzo.

A) extraversion
B) neuroticism
C) temperament
D) all of these characteristics

Question 74

To estimate trait heritability, researchers are most likely to make use of

A) a pruning process.
B) molecular genetics.
C) natural selection.
D) twin studies.

Question 75

The ability to provide would-be parents with information regarding their fetus' risk for a learning disorder is a potential benefit of

A) natural selection.
B) evolutionary psychology.
C) molecular behavior genetics.
D) social learning theory.

Question 76

Who are likely to show the greatest similarity in temperament?

A) Ruth and Ramona, identical twins
B) Philip and Paul, fraternal twins
C) Larry and Laura, brother and sister
D) Vincent Sr. and Vincent Jr., father and son

Question 77

Pat is normally very restless and fidgety, whereas Shelley is usually quiet and easygoing. The two children most clearly differ in

A) sex chromosomes.
B) heritability.
C) temperament.
D) intelligence.

Question 78

Assessing possible links between specific chromosome segments and alcohol dependence would be of greatest interest to a(n)

A) evolutionary psychologist.
B) molecular geneticist.
C) behaviorist.
D) social learning theorist.

Question 79

The heritability of a specific trait will be greatest among

A) genetically similar individuals who have been raised in similar environments.
B) genetically similar individuals who have been raised in dissimilar environments.
C) genetically dissimilar individuals who have been raised in similar environments.
D) genetically dissimilar individuals who have been raised in dissimilar environments.

Question 80

Gender differences in heritable personality traits cannot necessarily be attributed to male-female genetic differences because

A) physical maturation proceeds at a different rate for males and females.
B) variations in temperament contribute to gender differences.
C) heritable traits can be influenced by social environments.
D) males and females are also affected by their different sex hormones.