Deck 6: Genetics and Personality

Question 1

The human genome contains between _____ genes.

A)10,000 and 15,000
B)20,000 and 25,000
C)30,000 and 40,000
D)1,000,000 and 2,000,000

Answer 1

20,000 and 25,000

Question 2

The percentage of observed variance in a group of individuals that can be attributed to nongenetic differences is called:

A)heritability.
B)phenotypic variance.
C)genotypic variance.
D)environmentality.

Answer 2

environmentality.

Question 3

Which of the following statements about heritability is NOT true?

A)It can be applied to a single individual.
B)It can change over time.
C)It always depends on the range of genetic differences in a population.
D)It always depends on the range of environmental differences in a population.

Answer 3

It can be applied to a single individual.

Question 4

At the level of an individual,_____.

A)there is no nature-nurture debate
B)genes are useful in studying personality
C)an idiographic genetic approach should be used
D)genes are used to determine personality

Question 5

The arguments about whether environments or genes are more important determinants of personality are referred to as:

A)the eugenics debate.
B)the nature-nurture debate.
C)the heritability argument.
D)the equal environments assumption.

Question 6

The proportion of phenotypic variance that is attributable to genotypic variance is known as:

A)heritability.
B)variance.
C)genome.
D)eugenics.

Question 7

The Jim twins:

A)prove that personality traits are heritable.
B)prove the effects of nonshared family environments.
C)are identical twins separated at birth.
D)are identical in all ways.

Question 8

According to Plomin et al.(2001),_____ is a statistic that refers to the proportion of variance in a group of individuals that can be accounted for by genetic variance.

A)heritability
B)phenotypic variance
C)genome
D)eugenics

Question 9

The idea that one can design the future of the human species by fostering the reproduction of persons with certain traits and by discouraging the reproduction of persons without those traits is called:

A)eugenics.
B)molecular genetics.
C)selective placement.
D)heritability.

Question 10

A heritability of .30 means that _____ of the observed phenotypic variation is attributable to _____.

A)70 percent;an environmental difference
B)70 percent;genotypic variation
C)30 percent;an environmental difference
D)30 percent;genotypic variation

Question 11

In the context of the nature-nurture debate,which of the following statements is true about physical differences among people?

A)Genetic or environmental differences have no significant effect on occupational preferences.
B)Genetic differences are more important than environmental differences in terms of mate preferences.
C)Genetic and environmental factors are roughly equal when it comes to individual differences in weight.
D)Environmental differences are overwhelmingly important for individual differences in height.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true about genes?

A)Most of the genes within the human genome differ significantly from individual to individual.
B)The number of genes humans possess is very different from the number of genes estimated for worms.
C)They are located on chromosomes.
D)They are present in red blood cells.

Question 13

_____ refers to individual differences in the total collection of genes possessed by each person.

A)Heritability
B)Phenotypic variance
C)Genotypic variance
D)Environmentality

Question 14

The goal of the Human Genome Project is to:

A)identify which genes are related to personality.
B)identify the particular sequence of DNA molecules in the human species.
C)identify genotypic variance.
D)resolve the nature-nurture debate once and for all.

Question 15

Usually,when the heritability of a trait is very large,the _____ of the trait is small.

A)phenotypic variance
B)genotypic variance
C)environmentality
D)genomic variance

Question 16

_____ refers to the observed differences among individuals.

A)Heritability
B)Phenotypic variance
C)Genotypic variance
D)Environmentality

Question 17

The term _____ refers to the complete set of genes an organism possesses.

A)genome
B)eugenics
C)phenotypic variance
D)genotypic variance

Question 18

The Human Genome Project:

A)has been a large failure.
B)is dedicated to sequencing the entire human genome.
C)is dedicated to identifying the functions of most human genes.
D)has discovered that people differ widely in their particular genes.

Question 19

Ethically,which of the following methods in NOT used with humans?

A)Selective breeding studies
B)Twin studies
C)Adoption studies
D)Family studies

Question 20

Behavioral geneticists typically are NOT content simply with figuring out the:

A)percentage of variance due to environment.
B)percentage of variance due to genes.
C)percentage of variance due to genetic and environmental causes.
D)ways in which genes and environment interact to form personality.

Question 21

Which of the following is a disadvantage of family studies?

A)Results from these studies alone can never be viewed as definitive.
B)A potential problem with these studies is selective placement.
C)Their assumption of representativeness is a commonly encountered problem.
D)They fail to provide heritable estimates.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is true about fraternal twins?

A)They are always the same sex.
B)They come from a single fertilized egg,which divides into two at some point during gestation.
C)They are like regular siblings in terms of genetic relatedness.
D)They are genetically identical to their co-twins and share 100 percent of their genes.

Question 23

_____ come from a single fertilized egg,which divides into two at some point during gestation.

A)All siblings
B)Fraternal twins
C)Identical twins
D)Zygotic twins

Question 24

An advantage of adoption studies is that they:

A)are based on the equal environments assumption.
B)are based on the representativeness assumption.
C)are not based on the equal environments assumption.
D)are not based on the representativeness assumption.

Question 25

Aunts and uncles share _____ percent of their genes with their nieces and nephews,on average.

A)0
B)12.5
C)25
D)50

Question 26

Which of the following behavioral genetic methods provides the LEAST conclusive evidence that a trait is heritable?

A)Family studies
B)Twin studies
C)Adoption studies
D)Selective breeding

Question 27

One of the most common formulas for calculating heritability is:

A)heritability = (r_dz - r_mz).
B)heritability² = (r_mz - r_dz).
C)heritability² = 2(r_mz - r_dz).
D)heritability = 2(r_mz - r_dz).

Question 28

Which of the following is most likely to invalidate the equal environments assumption?

A)Dressing identical twins in identical clothing
B)Dressing fraternal twins in identical clothing
C)Treating twins differently than other children
D)Treating fraternal twins as ordinary siblings

Question 29

_____ are technically known as monozygotic twins.

A)Fraternal twins
B)Genotypic twins
C)Identical twins
D)Phenotypic twins

Question 30

The twin method assumes that:

A)all people in a particular population share similar environments.
B)the environments experienced by identical twins are no more similar to each other than are the environments experienced by fraternal twins.
C)twins are not treated differently from ordinary siblings.
D)parents treat all their children alike.

Question 31

_____ literally share 100 percent of their genes.

A)Parents and children
B)All siblings
C)Dizygotic twins
D)Monozygotic twins

Question 32

_____ occurs when dogs that possess a desired characteristic are identified and mated only with other dogs that also possess the characteristic.

A)A shared environment
B)Selective breeding
C)Genotype-environment correlation
D)The equal environments assumption

Question 33

Behavioral geneticists can examine twins who have been misdiagnosed as identical or fraternal to test:

A)shared environments.
B)selective breeding.
C)genotype-environment correlation.
D)the validity of the equal environments assumption.

Question 34

If adopted children differ in important ways from the general population,then the _____ assumption is violated.

A)representativeness
B)equal environments
C)eugenics
D)shared family environment

Question 35

If a personality characteristic is highly heritable,then _____.

A)all family members should possess the characteristic
B)all children in the family will possess the characteristic
C)family members with greater genetic relatedness should be more similar to each other than are family members with less genetic relatedness
D)entire populations will possess the characteristic

Question 36

Parents are usually not related to each other genetically;however,each parent shares _____ percent of his or her genes with each child.

A)25
B)50
C)75
D)100

Question 37

If _____ are substantially more similar to each other than are _____ on a given characteristic,then this provides evidence that is compatible with a heritability interpretation.

A)dizygotic twins;monozygotic twins
B)monozygotic twins;dizygotic twins
C)ordinary siblings;dizygotic twins
D)dizygotic twins;ordinary siblings

Question 38

For selective breeding to be successful,a desired trait must:

A)be entirely under genetic control.
B)occur in all offspring.
C)be heritable.
D)not get affected by environment.

Question 39

The fact that selective breeding has been so successful with dogs suggests that:

A)heredity must be a factor in personality traits.
B)human personality is heritable.
C)the equal environments assumption is not violated.
D)the assumption of representativeness is not violateD.

Question 40

Which of the following methods is mostly used for calculating heritability from twin data?

A)Finding the difference between monozygotic (MZ)correlation and dizygotic (DZ)correlation
B)Doubling the difference between monozygotic (MZ)correlation and dizygotic (DZ)correlation
C)Equally dividing the difference between monozygotic (MZ)correlation and dizygotic (DZ)correlation into two parts
D)Multiplying monozygotic (MZ)correlation and dizygotic (DZ)correlation

Question 41

Selective placement occurs when:

A)individuals with a particular genotype select the environment they subsequently inhabit.
B)women place importance on the trait of financial success when selecting marriage partners.
C)adopted children are placed with adoptive parents who are similar to their birth parents.
D)occupational preferences have an effect on the social status attainment.

Question 42

Combining the strengths of adoption and twin studies:

A)is not appropriate in behavior genetics studies.
B)provides one of the most powerful behavioral genetic designs.
C)requires selective breeding over many generations of laboratory animals.
D)provides an error-free estimate of heritability for behavioral genetic studies.

Question 43

In the context of the assumption of representativeness,adoption studies assume that:

A)placing adopted children with adoptive parents who are similar to their birth parents helps in a better understanding of heritable traits.
B)adopted children,their birth parents,and their adoptive parents are typical of the general population.
C)the environments experienced by adopted identical twins are more similar to each other than are the environments experienced by adopted fraternal twins.
D)a positive correlation between adopted children and their adoptive parents provides evidence for heritability for a personality trait.

Question 44

Which of the following is an example of a shared environmental influence?

A)A child's friends
B)A child's grades
C)Special treatment from a parent
D)Parents' values and attitudes

Question 45

Major personality traits:

A)have been found to have a modest degree of heritability.
B)have been found to be not at all heritable.
C)have not been studied with respect to heritability.
D)are more heritable than height.

Question 46

Recent findings from behavioral genetics and brain research point to the possibility that sexual orientation may:

A)be heritable only in men.
B)be heritable only in women.
C)be heritable in both women and men.
D)not be at all heritable.

Question 47

_____ tend to be around zero,suggesting little direct environmental influence on the traits of extraversion and neuroticism.

A)Correlations between identical twins
B)Correlations between fraternal twins
C)Correlations between adoptive parents and their adopted children
D)Correlations between adopted children and their biological parents

Question 48

The Bailey,Dunne,et al.(2000)study provides some support for Bem's (1996)theory that:

A)sexual orientation is extremely heritable.
B)childhood gender nonconformity may be an inherited component of adult sexual orientation.
C)gender nonconformity is not heritable.
D)the brains of homosexuals and heterosexuals are identical.

Question 49

According to Weiss,King,and Enns (2002),chimpanzees show moderate heritability for dominance and:

A)extraversion.
B)well-being.
C)aggressiveness.
D)sociability.

Question 50

In the context of sexual orientation,brain researcher Simon LeVay found that homosexual men have:

A)substantially larger brains like women and unlike heterosexual males.
B)substantially larger ascending reticular activating systems than heterosexual men.
C)substantially smaller medial preoptic regions of the hypothalamus than heterosexual men.
D)substantially smaller occipital lobes of the brain than heterosexual men.

Question 51

Which of the following best exemplifies shared family environments?

A)The friends a child selects while growing up
B)A shared family vacation
C)A parent's rapid progress in a corporate environment
D)Differential effects of grandparenting on children

Question 52

Which of the following attitudes has been found to be somewhat heritable?

A)Traditionalism
B)Belief in God
C)Involvement in religious activities
D)Attitudes about racial integration

Question 53

The number of books in a child's home is an example of:

A)phenotypic variance.
B)genotypic variance.
C)a shared environment.
D)a nonshared environment.

Question 54

_____ traits show moderate to high heritability.

A)Psychopathic
B)Religious
C)Idiographic
D)Political

Question 55

Which of the following is probably the most heritable?

A)Drinking behavior in men
B)Drinking behavior in women
C)Alcoholism in both men and women
D)Alcoholism is not heritable.

Question 56

The different experiences that siblings have even though they are in the same family best illustrate _____.

A)phenotypic variance
B)genotypic variance
C)shared environments
D)nonshared environments

Question 57

In the context of attitudes and preferences,a study of adopted and nonadopted children conducted by Abrahamson et al.(2002)confirmed that there is no evidence of a heritable influence on _____.

A)conservative attitudes
B)occupational preferences
C)marriage partner preferences
D)religious attitudes

Question 58

According to Loehlin (2012),the personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism have been found to be _____ in twin samples.

A)highly heritable
B)moderately heritable
C)slightly heritable
D)not at all heritable

Question 59

Nonshared family environment is best expressed as those aspects of a family environment that:

A)are uniquely experienced by a family.
B)are uniquely experienced by an individual family member.
C)are hoarded by family members.
D)represent differential genetic dimorphism.

Question 60

According to Spotts et al.(2005),which of the following statements is true about marriage?

A)The personality characteristics of husbands account for their own marital satisfaction.
B)The personality characteristics of wives account for their own marital satisfaction.
C)When selecting marriage partners,women do not give much importance to upward mobility and financial success.
D)Wives' personality does not explain their husbands' marital satisfaction.

Question 61

Genotype-environment _____ refers to the differential exposure of individuals with different genotypes to different environments.

A)interaction
B)correlation
C)variance
D)concordance

Question 62

David,an extravert,and Tom,an introvert,are studying in a room with blaring music.Based on genotype-environment interactions,_____.

A)Tom will most likely study better then David due to the background music
B)David will find the blaring music much more distracting than Tom
C)Tom will find the blaring music much more distracting than David
D)both David and Tom will start listening to the music and scheme to postpone the test by a week

Question 63

Alex scores high on the neuroticism scale.Usually,he is extremely anxious,which causes other people to constantly try to calm him.The responses Alex elicits from others are an example of _____ genotype-environment correlation.

A)active
B)reactive
C)allocative
D)evocative

Question 64

Barbara is a renowned naturalist.Her parents worked as park rangers,and she primarily grew up in national parks.Barbara's inclination to become a naturalist is most likely due to _____ genotype-environment correlation.

A)active
B)positive
C)negative
D)passive

Question 65

According to Willerman (1979),a problem with attempting to study the effects of nonshared environments is that:

A)there are so many environmental variables that exert an impact on personality that each variable alone might account only for a tiny fraction of the variance.
B)the nonshared environmental effects on each child in a family are too subtle to analyze using current methods.
C)the effects of shared family environments interfere with the effects of nonshared family environments.
D)the equal environments assumption is violated by variables attributable to nonshared family environment.

Question 66

Adoption studies show that the average correlation for personality variables between adopted siblings who share much of their environment,but who share no genes,is _____.

A)only .05
B)only .25
C).50
D).65

Question 67

Shimeath has a genotype for high musical ability,which leads to her parents buying a piano for her.Keith's parents are less inclined to provide any stimulation because he is not inclined musically.This scenario demonstrates the idea of genotype-environment:

A)interaction.
B)correlation.
C)variance.
D)concordance.

Question 68

Johnathon's parents are literary scholars.He has attended a number of literary festivals and interacted with many award-winning scholars.His house is stocked with books on literature,and he naturally seems to share his parents' literary inclination.This scenario best exemplifies _____.

A)reactive genotype-environment correlation
B)passive genotype-environment correlation
C)the assumption of representativeness
D)the equal environments assumption

Question 69

In the context of shared versus nonshared environmental influences,Loehlin,Neiderhiser,and Reiss (2003)found that shared environments accounted for:

A)"niche picking" by individuals based on a particular genotype.
B)different peer influences on alcohol consumption.
C)personality clusters likely to seek risky environments.
D)several personality clusters in the "adjustment" domain.

Question 70

Behavioral genetic studies have revealed tremendously important shared environmental influences in all of these areas EXCEPT:

A)religious beliefs.
B)gender nonconformity.
C)verbal intelligence.
D)health behaviors.

Question 71

Winston's father is a professional musician,and there are many musical instruments in their home.Winston has a genotype for high musical ability,which he inherited from his father,and is encouraged by the environment in which he is raised.This scenario exemplifies _____ genotype-environment correlation.

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

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT a kind of genotype-environment correlation?

A)Interclass
B)Active
C)Passive
D)Reactive

Question 73

Rochelle's son loves camping.However,her daughter prefers painting.During summer break,Rochelle sends her son for a four-day camp.During the same time,she takes her daughter to various painting exhibitions in the city.This scenario best exemplifies _____.

A)the equal environments assumption
B)the assumption of representativeness
C)reactive genotype-environment correlation
D)passive genotype-environment correlation

Question 74

When a mother holds a child more often because the child loves it,we observe _____ genotype-environment correlation.

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

Question 75

Juanita is a fantastic basketball player.She is tall,agile,and good at the game.Her parents send her to basketball camps,and they make sure that she gets excellent coaching.Joshua is not good at sports,and his parents are not motivated to provide him the same facilities as Juanita.This scenario exemplifies genotype-environment:

A)interaction.
B)correlation.
C)variance.
D)concordance.

Question 76

When individuals respond to a person based on that person's genotype,_____ genotype-environment correlation occurs.

A)reactive
B)interpersonal
C)active
D)evocative

Question 77

Reactive genotype-environment correlation occurs when:

A)parents respond to children differently,depending on the child's genotypes.
B)parents provide both genes and environment to children,yet the children do nothing to obtain that environment.
C)individuals with a particular genotype create a particular environment.
D)individuals respond to the environment that they select to inhabit by molding it,depending on their genotypes.

Question 78

_____ refers to the differential response of individuals with different genotypes to the same environments.

A)Passive genotype-environment interaction
B)Genotype-environment interaction
C)Active genotype-environment correlation
D)Genotype-environment correlation

Question 79

Sharon scores high on the sensation seeking scale.She likes skydiving and bungee jumping.Sharon exposes herself to risky environments because of _____ genotype-environment correlation.

A)reactive
B)aggressive
C)active
D)evocative

Question 80

An extravert is likely to attend social gatherings and participate in extra-curricular activities.This active creation and selection of environments demonstrates _____ genotype-environment correlation.

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