Question 1

A recent study indicates that a serotonin-related genetic allele seems to influence the development of depression in conjunction with

Accepted Answer

A)  stressful life events. 
B)  high neuroticism. 
C)  low extraversion. 
D)  childhood maltreatment.

Question 2

According to estimates based on twin studies, the average heritability coefficient of many traits of personality is about ________ when using self-reports of personality.

Accepted Answer

A)  .20 
B)  .40 
C)  .80 
D)  1.0

Question 3

A common critique of evolutionary psychology is that it focuses too much on instinctual behavior patterns. Which of the following explanations is NOT used as evidence for this critique?

Accepted Answer

A)  Human behavior is flexible, and people can adapt to changing environments. 
B)  Much of human behavior is modular. 
C)  A wide range of individual differences influences behavior. 
D)  Humans have evolved higher-order thinking over time to overcome their innate tendencies.

Question 4

A(n) ________ searches for specific genes that are linked with particular personality attributes.

Accepted Answer

A)  epigenetic scan 
B)  epigenetic association study 
C)  allelic frequency study 
D)  genome-wide association study

Question 5

Jacob and Ashley have the same father but have different mothers. About how much genetic material do they share?

Accepted Answer

A)  0 
B)  .125 
C)  .25 
D)  .50

Question 6

How can the study of gene-environment interactions explain some enduring puzzles in psychology? Provide specific examples of gene-environment interactions described in the book and explain why these findings are potentially important.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How can the study of gene-environment interactions...

Question 7

Behavioral genetics, like trait psychology, focuses on aspects of personality that ________, whereas evolutionary psychology more typically focuses on aspects of personality that ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  all humans share; differ from one individual to another 
B)  vary among groups of individuals; vary among individuals 
C)  differ from one individual to another; all humans share 
D)  are species specific; are individual specific

Question 8

Match each rebuttal with its associated stress test of evolutionary psychology.
-Reproductive instinct

Accepted Answer

A) Evolution of a cerebral cortex enables humans to have the ability to overcome innate urges. 
B) It is not necessary for people to be consciously aware of what evolutionary theory says is required for reproductive success. 
C) For any theoretical proposal in science, alternative explanations are always possible. 
D) The differences between men and women in mate selection and other behaviors are built-in through biological evolution. 
E) Evolutionary psychologists are not concerned with the moral justification or condemnation of any one aspect of the human psyche.

Question 9

What is the heritability coefficient? Explain how it is calculated and what information heritability statistics provide to researchers.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the heritability coefficient? Explain how...

Question 10

Rachel's girlfriend just broke up with her. According to a recent study about types of depression, the particular kind of depression Rachel will MOST likely experience is characterized by

Accepted Answer

A)  emotional pain, crying, and seeking social support. 
B)  aggression, hostility, and anger. 
C)  fatigue, pessimism, and guilt. 
D)  sexual dysfunction, increased cortisol, and increased motor activity.

Question 11

Which of the following is a legitimate reason why genome-wide association studies are still not conducted very frequently?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are extremely time-consuming and expensive. 
B)  It is still difficult to determine environmental effects on the genes. 
C)  The method is still too new to be accurate. 
D)  Early results have not been very promising.

Question 12

A scientist who studies how patterns of behavior characteristic of the entire human species originated because of the survival value they had for our ancestors is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  evolutionary psychologist. 
B)  behavioral geneticist. 
C)  heritability scientist. 
D)  behavioral Darwinist.

Question 13

As a result of Timothy's genes, he went through puberty later than his peers. Because he was much smaller than the other boys they tended to pick on him, and he fought back to protect himself. As a young adult, Timothy is more aggressive than his peers. This scenario illustrates that his aggression is

Accepted Answer

A)  completely the result of his genetic inheritance. 
B)  completely the result of his early social environment. 
C)  the result of an interaction between the genetic expression and the resulting social environment. 
D)  the result of his social environment in adulthood because genes cannot affect behavior in adulthood.

Question 14

Match each psychologically evolved mechanism perspective with its associated behavior.
-Crying

Accepted Answer

A) Useful in seeking social support 
B) Enables social dominance and an increase in status 
C) Helps secure the reproductive success of close relatives 
D) Increases awareness of infidelity 
E) Helps secure a dedicated and lifelong mate

Question 15

In the past, some psychologists have concluded that shared family environments have little or no effect on personality development. Recent research has cast doubt on such conclusions by finding that

Accepted Answer

A)  molecular geneticists identified the specific alleles associated with each of the Big Five personality traits. 
B)  the shared family environment actually has a larger effect on personality than does the shared nonfamily environment (e.g., school). 
C)  the shared environment was related to certain aspects of personality when personality was measured through direct behavioral observation. 
D)  the shared environment was related to personality when personality was measured through self-report data.

Question 16

The idea that feelings of self-esteem evolved to gauge social acceptance is known as the ________ theory.

Accepted Answer

A)  sociometer 
B)  social self 
C)  social self-acceptance 
D)  self-esteem as survival

Question 17

The notion that humans could be improved through selective breeding is called

Accepted Answer

A)  eugenics. 
B)  cloning. 
C)  behavioral Darwinism. 
D)  heritability.

Question 18

Which factor below would be part of the so-called nonshared environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  family social-economic status 
B)  genetic attributes 
C)  different friendships for siblings 
D)  general parenting styles

Question 19

If there is no phenotypic variation in a trait, then the heritability of that trait will be approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  1.0. 
B)  .50. 
C)  .25. 
D)  0.

Question 20

What is the biggest reason why cloning one's personality will never be feasible?

Accepted Answer

A)  Meeting your clone would be too confusing to process. 
B)  Personality is the result of a complex interaction between one's genes and environment. 
C)  The government has refused to fund any research on cloning. 
D)  Our understanding of the genetic basis of personality is far too limited to know which genes are related to specific personality traits.

Exam 9: Genetics and Evolution: the Inheritance of Personality