Deck 3: The Nature and Nurture of Behavior

Question 1

In the nature-nurture debate, nature stands for

A) non-biological, learned characteristics
B) biological, innate characteristics
C) interactions between cultural and evolutionary traits
D) functions of the family environment

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The non-biological, learned characteristics of individuals and their behavior can be called

A) nature
B) navigation
C) nurture
D) nuance

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is true of the nature-nurture debate?

A) Nature always exists via nurture.
B) Nuture should be evaluated in isolation of nature.
C) Nature should be evaluated more closely than nurture.
D) Nurture is more important for developing skills later in life.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The field of behavior genetics is a field within this psychological perspective.

A) behavioral
B) cognitive
C) sociocultural
D) biobehavioral

Question 5

The human genome is the set of genetic instructions for the

A)development of human personality characteristics.
B) percentage of genetic difference between species of organisms.
C) distribution of neural cells in the brain and spinal cord.
D) building of the human organism by amino acids and proteins.

Question 6

Chromosomes are found in which part of a cell?

A) soma
B) nucleus
C) endoplasmic reticulm
D) golgi apparatus

Question 7

The unique code for creating a living organism is contained within

A) DNA
B) RNA
C) ribosomes
D) chromosomes

Question 8

The functional units of DNA grouped along chromosomes are also known as

A) alleles
B) dominants
C) genes
D) genotypes

Question 9

The versions of genes that humans inherit are called

A) alleles
B) chromosomes
C) genes
D) phenotypes

Question 10

Eva has blonde hair, but her sister, Cynthia, has brown hair. What is responsible for the sisters' different hair colors?

A) The sisters inherited two separate genomes.
B) The sisters inherited different sets of alleles.
C) The sisters are most likely identical twins.
D) The gene for Cynthia's hair color came from her mother.

Question 11

The set of instructions that is contained within DNA for any living organism is known as the organism's _________________. The observable traits of any living organism are known as the organism's_______________.

A) phenotype; genotype
B) genotype; heterotype
C) homotype; heterotype
D) genotype; phenotype

Question 12

Gregor Mendel was the first understand that the fundamental unit of heredity is the

A) zygote
B) gene
C) chromosome
D) genome

Question 13

Brian and Michael are brothers and they both inherited a gene for blue eyes. However, Brian's eyes are brown. How is that possible?

A) The genes that Brian and Michael inherited were corrupted in Brian's case.
B) Brian's genotype included genes for blue eyes only, but his eye color changed due to the lack of sunlight in his bedroom.
C) Michael's phenotype hides the fact that he inherited genes for brown eyes.
D) Brian's genotype included alleles for blue and brown eyes.

Question 14

Genes transmit genetic instructions through this chemical compound.

A) protein
B) amino acid
C) RNA
D) DNA

Question 15

The main function of RNA is to

A) code the genetic material to be passed on to the next generation.
B) transcribe information to code for protein synthesis
C) ready the cell for mitosis.
D) generate genetic information to be used by mitochondria

Question 16

The chances of a gene replicating itself is enhanced if

A) the gene guides behavior that leads to a person's death
B) the gene guides development of tumors in a person's abdomen
C) the gene replicates as many cells as possible
D) the gene guides behavior that leads a person to survive

Question 17

All of the following are examples of the relationship of nature and nurture in gene replication, EXCEPT

A) An infant whose mother drinks excessively during pregnancy may develop fetal alcohol syndrome
B) A genetically normal child deprived of human touch may develop profound cognitive and emotional problems
C) A child who develops more rapidly be perceived as mature as a less rapidly developing child
D) A human being reared in darkness during specific periods of early infancy will never develop normal vision

Question 18

Richie was born with exceptional intellectual aptitude, but his teachers are overworked and tend to ignore his attempts to participate in class. Which of the following is most likely given the relationship between genes and the environment?

A)Richie will develop a serious dependence on alcohol.
B) Richie will slowly lose interest in activities that showcase his intelligence.
C) Richie will increase his efforts to show off his intelligence.
D) Richie will be accepted to a top-level university and become a teacher himself.

Question 19

One reason that the genome is complicated is that

A) genes can become active or inactive based other genes
B)genes tend to be inherited only in enriched environments
C) genes can be turned off by other aspects of evolution
D) genes tend to only be important for developing culturally valued traits

Question 20

Twin brothers Jim Lewis and Jim Springer are interesting to behavior geneticists because, despite being reared apart,

A) both of them married a woman named Linda
B) their scores on personality tests and intelligence tests were extremely similar
C) they both enjoyed a love of baseball.
D) their scores on genetic tests were significantly different.

Question 21

A scientist who studies behavior genetics would be most interested in

A) the influence of the environment on the development of traits and behaviors.
B)the individual differences in heredity of phenotypes
C) the development of sexual and aggressive behavior in chimpanzees
D) the influence of genes and environments on different traits and behaviors

Question 22

Although other scientists were slow to accept this conclusion, behavior genetics established that

A) genetics can account for individual differences in psychological characteristics
B)genetics play a minimal role in the development of physical characteristics
C) genetics account for a significant variation in the behaviors of identical twins
D) genetics are the motivating factor for studies of the environment

Question 23

Studies of pairs of twins like the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart are examples of

A) correlational studies
B) true experiments
C) natural experiments
D) case studies

Question 24

Which of the following is not true of a "natural" experiment?

A)An experimenter can draw conclusions about causation.
B)Nature controls some of the variables.
C) True random assignment to conditions is possible.
D) The code of ethics for human-subjects research must be applied.

Question 25

Twins that develop from a single egg and share100 of the same genes are called ____________ twins. Twins that develop from separate eggs and thus only share 50 percent of the same genes are called ____________ twins.

A) monozygotic; dizygotic
B) dizygotic; monozygotic
C) trizygotic; dizygotic
D) unizygotic; monozygotic

Question 26

Which of the following statements summarizes the logical conclusions of twins studies?

A)Dizygotic twins are more similar than monozygotic twins and other siblings on many psychological traits.
B) Family members of the monzygotic twins are more similar than family members of the dizygotic twins.
C) The pairs of dizygotic twins tend to be more genetically similar than the pairs of monozygotic twins.
D) Monozygotic twins tend to exhibit more similar psychological traits than dizygotic twins.

Question 27

The importance of genes for the development of behavioral traits is most obvious in cases of twins that are

A) similar ages as other family members
B) reared together
C) reared apart
D) observed prior to puberty

Question 28

Twin studies have illustrated the influence of genetics in all of the following examples, EXCEPT

A) sexual orientation
B) personality and temperament
C) tendency toward mental disorders
D) individualist or collectivist worldview

Question 29

Studies of adopted children conducted by behavior geneticists have revealed mixed results such that

A) adopted children tend not to develop personality characteristics that are similar to their adoptive parents.
B) adopted children inherit their personality traits from their birth parents
C) adopted children are very similar to their birth parents in terms of IQ
D) adopted children are very similar to their adoptive parents in terms of personality traits

Question 30

This statistic represents the degree to which genes and environments contribute to the variation among people in a particular sample on that trait.

A) heredity
B) heritability
C) regression
D) correlation coefficient

Question 31

When comparing samples of middle-class and impoverished twins, researchers have found that

A) genes influence behavior more greatly in the impoverished samples.
B) about 50% of the variations in middle-class twins was due to random chance
C) genes accounted for less than 10% of the IQ differences among impoverished twins
D) less than 40% of the IQ differences in middle-class twins was accounted for by genes

Question 32

The field of molecular genetics differs from behavior genetics in that

A) behavior genetics involves identifying specific genes responsible for various traits
B)behavior genetics is based on principles of social psychology
C) molecular genetics was founded by Charles Darwin
D) molecular genetics involves identifying specific genes responsible for various traits

Question 33

A gene-environment correlation can be said to exist in all of the following examples, EXCEPT

A) Lucia's IQ, inherited from her parents, leads her to repeatedly ask for explanations about things she doesn't understand.
B) Juan's shy temperament, inherited from his parents, led many people to treat him as if he was very anxious.
C) Pavel's reading skills were inherited from his parents, who also filled the house with books.
D) Jake's cystic fibrosis, inherited from his parents, led to repeated hospitalizations as a youth.

Question 34

Some gene-environment correlations are "active" in that an individual

A) actively seeks a particular kind of environment as the result of a genotype
B)actively inhibits his emotions as the result of a genotype
C) actively seeks refuge from a demanding parent
D) never chooses to participate in the environment

Question 35

A passive gene-environment correlation will probably occur

A)if a child asks to participate in afterschool activities
B) if a parent exposes a child to different activities regardless of whether the child is interested in the activities
C) if a parent asks a child how interested she is in art and music lessons
D) if a parent neglects offering opportunities to the child

Question 36

When a child's behavior evokes particular kinds of behavior around her, this type of gene-environment correlation is likely to occur.

A) proactive
B) active
C) passive
D) reactive

Question 37

Lateisha's is a particularly neurotic person in relation to the rest of her family. When she has assignments due at school, she tends to procrastinate more than her older brother Cedric because she becomes so anxious. This is an example of a(n)

A) gene-environment correlation
B) illusory correlation
C) heredity interaction
D) gene-environment interaction.

Question 38

Which of the following is correct regarding the acceptance of the idea that humans evolved from earlier forms of life?

A) Only about 39% of Americans do not accept evolution.
B) Nearly three quarters of all Americans with high-school educations accept evolution.
C) Evolution is accepted by about 74% of Americans with post-graduate degrees.
D) About 60% of Americans accept evolution but only applied to primates.

Question 39

Which of the following is not a basic, indisputable fact of evolution?

A) The earth is at least 4.5 billion years old.
B) Behavioral traits are selected based on fitness to the environment.
C) Some major life forms, such as the dinosaurs are now extinct.
D) Birds and mammals did not exist 250 million years ago.

Question 40

Scientific investigations of differences in the behavior of men and women thoughout different cultures would probably be led by

A)visual anthropologists
B) psychoanalysts
C) paleontologists
D) evolutionary psychologists

Question 41

According to Charles Darwin, species can conceivably reproduce in unlimited quantities but they do not because

A) the resources needed to support individuals of a species are finite
B)the resources needed to support reproduction are infinite
C) the number of partners willing to mate is finite
D) the bonding between males and females in any species is finite

Question 42

According to Charles Darwin, characteristics of organisms that allow for better survival rates in a given environment also

A) increase the chances that an organism will become extinct
B) increase the chances that an organism will leave many offspring
C) decrease the chances that an organism will leave many offspring
D) not affect the rate at which an organism leaves offspring

Question 43

Any variation in a species that leads to better rates of survival and reproduction is known as a(n)

A) adoption
B) adjudication
C) adaptation
D) amalgamation

Question 44

A stick insect is able to assume the appearance of a stick to fool predators. The stick bug also eats leaves as a means of survival. When eating a leaf, the stick bug is often vulnerable to predators and sometimes is caught and eaten by birds. Which of the stick insect's traits is the most adaptive?

A) eating leaves
B) climbing trees
C) chirping to attract mates
D) resembling a stick

Question 45

Humans have characteristics that have evolved to enable the mind to learn and solve problems. An evolutionary psychologist calls these characteristics

A)natural selections
B) psychological adaptations
C) mental processes
D) environmental adaptations

Question 46

Which of the following is the best example of a human psychological adaptation in pregnancy?

A) the enlargement of the breasts to enable nursing in the third trimester
B)the craving of high calorie foods in the second trimester
C) the increase in progesterone in the first trimester
D) the incidence of morning sickness in the first trimester

Question 47

Most evolutionary psychologists view the mind as ___________, or that the mind developed as a collection of processes, adapted for specific purposes

A) modular
B) globular
C) nuclear
D) equipotential

Question 48

Despite the health risks of high fat diets and foods with processed sugars, humans seemed to evolve to prefer those sorts of foods. This phenomenon is known as

A)evolutionary mismatch
B) natural selection
C) environmental fitness
D) environmental mismatch

Question 49

An environmental mismatch has occurred when

A) an adaptation is no longer suited to help survival and reproduction in a current environement
B) an adaptation gives one organism an advantage over its environment
C) the rate of reproduction increases to a point of starving the environment
D) an adaptation becomes so well suited to the environment that it leads to infestation

Question 50

Evolutionary psychologists have found that the evolutionary differences between men and women are primarily in areas related to all of the following, EXCEPT:

A) sexuality
B) reproduction
C) physical aggression
D) metabolism

Question 51

Which of the following is true regarding short term mating (aka "casual sex") in men?

A)men have greater average interest in casual sex compared with women.
B)men are less likely to desire long-term mating as they age.
C) men are not as likely to be interested in short-term mating compared with women.
D) men are more likely to try different sexual acts before the age of 20.

Question 52

Though it is common to assume that women are less interested in sex than men are, women have a greater interest in long-term mating, which is

A) a need to have a large variety of partners over a long period of time
B) a casual part of the courtship process
C) a central component of an ongoing relationship
D) a means to acquire resources for providing for offspring

Question 53

Donald Symons linked men's and women's mating differences to Robert Trivers's observation that all species sacrifice many resources in the conception and rearing of their young. Trivers's idea is known as the

A) theory of paternal interest and natural selection
B) theory of parental investment and sexual selection
C) theory of maternal investment and sexual selection
D) theory of natural selection and origin of species

Question 54

Which of the following statements supports the historical idea that women invest much more in the entire process of reproduction.

A) As a woman ages, the experience of labor and childbirth becomes much less dangerous.
B) Throughout pregnancy and during breastfeeding, the mother continually shares her scarce bodily resources with her young child.
C) When a young women becomes pregnant, the chances of her attracting a male increases by 10%.
D) The woman's window of fertility is basically unlimited after puberty.

Question 55

Which of the following is true regarding the direct physical investment of a human male in conception, childbirth, and child rearing.

A) The minimum physical sacrifice of men greatly outweighs that of women.
B) Men who physically invest in mating do so by choice.
C) The burning of calories during sexual intercourse limit's a man's fertility as he ages.
D) The minimum physical sacrifice of men is greatly outweighed by that of women.

Question 56

According to Trivers's theory, a male's sexual psychology includes more aggressive traits than a female's because

A) male ancestors who were more aggressive reproduced more successfully
B)males who were less aggressive attracted more mates than females
C) the human genome permits males to grow larger than females
D) the environment is such that males must be able to lift larger objects than females

Question 57

According to evolutionary psychologists females are thought to be more picky in their choice of a mate because

A) males have fewer opportunities to mate continuously
B) females are less concerned with the resources provided by mates
C) females have fewer opportunities to mate successfully
D) males are usually less available during the winter months

Question 58

What is most interesting about the sexual selection in the ophidon pipefish?

A) the male of the species invests the most to reproduction
B) the males of the species invests the least to reproduction
C) the female of the species usually shares reproductive responsibilities
D) the male of the species has no reproductive responsibilities

Question 59

The sex differences in physical size and strength, competition for mates, and ornamentation of the body in humans are

A) about the same as most other species
B) minimal compared with most other species
C) more likely to occur later in life compared with other species
D) less likely in western cultures compared with eastern cultures.

Question 60

One of the most important criticisms leveled against evolutionary psychologists is that

A) some evolutionary psychologists seemed to have misinterpreted Charles Darwin
B)evolutionary psychology is not very useful in understanding commonalities among people
C) most evolutionary studies in psychology are not carefully controlled
D) some evolutionary psychologists also work in fields like anthropology and sociology.

Question 61

One way to continue to improve the scientific conclusions drawn by evolutionary psychologists would be to

A) focus primarily on more "evolved" western cultures
B) stop trying to identify sex differences and investigate human emotion
C) broaden the focus of research to include all representative culture
D) continue to apply all of Darwin's principles to theories of human behavior

Question 62

One difference between evolutionary psychologists and sociocultural psychologists is that the latter

A) focus more on universal aspects of the human condition and cultural expression
B)are interested in similarities among all humans and cultures
C) focus on qualitative aspects of the human individual experience
D) have developed better methods for examining individual and cultural differences

Question 63

Any enduring and cooperating group such as the Girl Scouts, the ancient Greeks, or the citizens of the United States of America can be called a

A) culture
B) society
C) tribe
D) order

Question 64

The behaviors and traditions that are transmitted to future generations can be called a

A) culture
B) society
C) tribe
D) order

Question 65

Dr. Freeman is a clinical psychologist who studies how inner-city neighborhood life effects the development of attachment styles between young mothers and their sons. Dr. Freeman's research is most in line with the

A) clinical perspective
B) cultural perspective
C) sociocultural perspective
D) evolutionary perspective

Question 66

Professor Rodriguez studies intimacy by comparing the behaviors of adolescents in the United States to those of the Polynesian peoples of the Pacific. Professor Rodriguez's research is most representative of this field of psychology.

A)cognitive psychology
B) cultural psychology
C) neuropsychology
D) social psychology

Question 67

Geert Hofstede employed this method in order to establish specific dimensions of behavior that varied from culture to culture.

A)case study
B) experimental
C) correlational
D) survey

Question 68

What does it mean to say that the United States is an individualist culture?

A) the accomplishments and welfare of the individual are stressed ahead of the group
B)the importance of the individual is emphasized less than that of the group
C) the traditional behaviors of the individual sexes are restricted in specific ways
D) the accomplishments of groups are held in high esteem

Question 69

Many Asian cultures emphasize group effort, group accomplishment, and group membership and as such can be labeled

A) individualist
B) group dynamic
C) socialist
D) collectivist

Question 70

This dimension of cultural psychology reflects the degree to which the less powerful members of society accept and expect that some individuals will weild power while others will lack power.

A) power coefficient
B) power distribution
C) power distance
D) power dispersion

Question 71

Cultures that place a heavy emphasis on competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, and wealth are referred to as

A) competitive
B) rational
C) masculine
D) desire driven

Question 72

Cultures that place a heavy emphasis on quality of life, family, and relationships are referred to as

A) friendly
B) feminine
C) masculine
D) collectivist

Question 73

Cultures that create conditions to avoid uncertainty, stress, and risk also support

A)competition among men for resources
B)unstructured family relationships
C) structured work environments
D) complicated economic markets

Question 74

All of the following activities were not considered morally wrong by Americans, but were considered morally wrong by Hindu Brahmans, except

A) A husband cooks for his wife
B) A wife eats with her husband and his elder brother
C) A male child is given a larger inheritance than his sisters
D) An eldest son gets a haircut and eats chicken the day after the death of his father.

Question 75

Which of the following situations did both Americans and Hindu Brahmans agree was morally wrong?

A) cutting in line
B) addressing one's father by his first name
C) beating a woman for being unfaithful
D) eating beef

Question 76

Paul Rozin's research comparing Hindu and American college students' cultural attitudes revealed that

A) the students answered according to the individualist or collectivist nature of their cultures
B) the Americans' answers to the survey items were often unreliable
C) the responses from both groups illustrated a large degree of individual differences among members of the same culture
D) the Hindu students' answers reflected their individualist ideals

Question 77

Humans are motivated to maintain a positive view of themselves, and to focus on their good qualities while downplaying the bad. This known as

A) self-improvement
B) self-enhancement
C) self-sabotage
D) self-reliance

Question 78

Research illustrates that self-enhancement based on individual accomplishments is more likely among

A) European-Americans
B) East Asians
C) Africans
D) Latin Americans

Question 79

When self-enhancement is understood in terms of promoting attributes that are important to the self-enhancer and not in terms of individualism and collectivism, research shows that

A) self-enhancement is more likely in western cultures
B)self-enhancement is a nearly universal trait
C) the self-enhancement effect becomes insignificant
D) the likelihood of self-enhancement is greater in eastern Asia

Question 80

You observe a woman yelling at a store clerk and immediately conclude that the woman is rude, mean, and selfish. If you make this conclusion without knowing that, moments before, the clerk had racially insulted the woman, you have succumbed to the

A)race-relations bias
B) fundamental theorem of culture
C) fundamental attribution error
D) self-serving bias