Question 1

Humans share about 98 percent of their genetic material with chimpanzees.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

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

Across a wide variety of cultures, ________ are more likely than ________ to place a higher value on physical attractiveness.

Accepted Answer

A)  women; men 
B)  introverts; extraverts 
C)  extraverts; introverts 
D)  men; women

Question 4

In which sample would you expect the heritability of IQ to be the lowest?

Accepted Answer

A)  low socioeconomic status twins 
B)  middle socioeconomic status twins 
C)  high socioeconomic status twins 
D)  None of the above; the heritability will be the same in all three groups.

Question 5

According to evolutionary biology, altruistic behavior might help assure the survival of one's own genes into succeeding generations primarily because ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  altruistic individuals take fewer risks than nonaltruistic individuals, so they are more likely to survive and produce children 
B)  altruistic people tend to attract more mates, thereby increasing the likelihood that altruistic people will reproduce 
C)  some of your genes will make it into the next generation if the people who share your genes also survive 
D)  altruism promotes physical health and longevity

Question 6

Kevin is placing a personal ad in the local paper. According to evolutionary predictions about mate selection, he will most likely mention his ________ when describing himself.

Accepted Answer

A)  physical attractiveness 
B)  propensity for jealousy 
C)  financial resources 
D)  young age

Question 7

The heritability of moderate mental retardation is higher than the heritability of severe mental retardation.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

According to evolutionary explanations of mate selection, women and men seek essentially the same thing from a mating partner-an increased likelihood that the partner is physically attractive.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT indicated by a heritability statistic?

Accepted Answer

A)  whether genetic factors play some role in shaping individual differences 
B)  whether the etiology of certain conditions such as mental retardation is environmental 
C)  whether genes and environments interact to produce behavior 
D)  how much variability in a trait is due to nonshared environmental factors

Question 10

Monozygotic (MZ) twins share ________ percent of the genes that vary across individuals, and dizygotic (DZ) twins share, on average, ________ percent of the genes that vary across individuals.

Accepted Answer

A)  50; 25 
B)  90; 10 
C)  50; 100 
D)  100; 50

Question 11

The fact that the same environment affects different individuals in different ways illustrates the principle of gene-environment interactions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

A researcher who measures the extent to which genetic factors influence the trait of narcissism is taking an evolutionary approach.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

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 14

What might explain the difference in heritability coefficients between twin and non-twin studies?

Accepted Answer

A)  increased measurement error in non-twin studies 
B)  the presence of interactive genetic effects 
C)  the greater statistical power of twin studies 
D)  the rarity of non-twin studies

Question 15

Drawing on research about the impact of the shared family environment on personality development, Judith Harris argued that ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  parents have no important long-term effects on their children's personalities 
B)  parents have important long-term effects on their children's personalities 
C)  parental behavior affects the personalities of their genetic offspring more than their adopted children 
D)  shared environmental factors were substantially larger than nonshared factors

Question 16

The risk of divorce is not genetically influenced because it involves an interaction between two people.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

According to evolutionary theory, a man's greatest worry is that ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  his partner will leave for another person 
B)  he is not the biological father of the children that he is supporting 
C)  his partner will form an emotional bond with another person 
D)  his partner will share resources with another person

Question 18

What gene seems to be related to the trait of neuroticism?

Accepted Answer

A)  DRD4 
B)  SSRI 
C)  5-HTT 
D)  APOA

Question 19

What behavioral genetic research finding seems to support the conclusion that the effect of growing up in the same home environment is rather minimal?

Accepted Answer

A)  The personality traits of monozygotic (MZ) twins are correlated at .50 on average. 
B)  The personality traits of dizygotic (DZ) twins are correlated at .30 on average. 
C)  The personality traits of adoptive siblings raised in the same family are correlated around .05. 
D)  The personality traits of adoptive siblings raised in the same family are correlated above .25.

Question 20

There is evidence that particular genes are related to certain personality characteristics and psychological difficulties.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 9: The Inheritance of Personality: Behavioral Genetics and Evolutionary Theory

Humans share about 98 percent of their genetic material with chimpanzees.

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

Across a wide variety of cultures, are more likely than to place a higher value on physical attractiveness.

In which sample would you expect the heritability of IQ to be the lowest?

According to evolutionary biology, altruistic behavior might help assure the survival of one's own genes into succeeding generations primarily because ________.

Kevin is placing a personal ad in the local paper. According to evolutionary predictions about mate selection, he will most likely mention his ________ when describing himself.

The heritability of moderate mental retardation is higher than the heritability of severe mental retardation.

According to evolutionary explanations of mate selection, women and men seek essentially the same thing from a mating partner-an increased likelihood that the partner is physically attractive.

Which of the following is NOT indicated by a heritability statistic?

Monozygotic (MZ) twins share percent of the genes that vary across individuals, and dizygotic (DZ) twins share, on average, percent of the genes that vary across individuals.

The fact that the same environment affects different individuals in different ways illustrates the principle of gene-environment interactions.

A researcher who measures the extent to which genetic factors influence the trait of narcissism is taking an evolutionary approach.

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

What might explain the difference in heritability coefficients between twin and non-twin studies?

Drawing on research about the impact of the shared family environment on personality development, Judith Harris argued that ________.

The risk of divorce is not genetically influenced because it involves an interaction between two people.

According to evolutionary theory, a man's greatest worry is that ________.

What gene seems to be related to the trait of neuroticism?

What behavioral genetic research finding seems to support the conclusion that the effect of growing up in the same home environment is rather minimal?

There is evidence that particular genes are related to certain personality characteristics and psychological difficulties.