Deck 3: Section 1: Biology and Behavior

Question 1

Is brain development continuous or discontinuous? What about development of the body? Provide examples to support the answers given.

Answer 1

Not Answer

Question 2

Someone reads an article about a twin study conducted to examine the heritability of creativity. The article reports a heritability estimate of 60%. The reader of the article says, "See, this is why I am not creative. My parents aren't creative, so there isn't anything I can do about it." Is this person's conclusion correct? Discuss why or why not.

Answer 2

Not Answer

Question 3

Describe the concept of norm of reaction. Give an example of a particular genotype and how its interaction with different environments might affect the phenotype that results.

Answer 3

Not Answer

Question 4

What determines which synapses will be eliminated and which connections will be supported? Describe the types of brain plasticity, and give three specific examples of each type.

Question 5

Consider a trait or characteristic of yours about which you are particularly unhappy or that you are ashamed to possess. Using the relations that are identified in the model of hereditary and environmental influence, discuss how you may have come to possess this trait or characteristic. Discuss, specifically, (a) How might your parents' genotype have directly influenced your genotype? (b) How might your parents' phenotype have influenced your environment? (c) How might your own phenotype have evoked your parents' behaviour toward you? (d) How did you actively select your own environment?

Question 6

Consider these statements from the text:
(a) "If you can roll your tongue lengthwise into the shape of a tube, then at least one, but not necessarily both, of your parents must also possess this . . . talent."
(b) "If you have straight hair, then both of your parents must carry an allele for this trait, although it is possible that neither of them actually has straight hair."
Provide a detailed explanation of each statement, being sure to explain the process by which each trait is expressed and how, if at all, the trait of tongue-rolling and the trait of straight hair are different.

Question 7

Provide a detailed description of how an individual's sex is determined. Be sure to explain the determination from the moment of conception to the "moulding" of maleness or femaleness.

Question 8

Jake's biological father has hazel eyes, and Jake's biological mother has green eyes. Jake has brown eyes. Describe the concepts of Mendelian inheritance and polygenic inheritance, and explain how Jake might have inherited brown eyes.

Question 9

Darrell and Diana, who are both quite athletic, have a new baby named Dean. Their neighbours, Rafael and Rose, are not so athletic. They have a child named Reed. Describe the direct and indirect influences of their parents' genotypes and phenotypes on the athletic abilities of Dean and Reed.

Question 10

Lenny is a very active toddler who began to crawl, pull himself up to a standing position, walk, climb, and run at a very early age. Describe the two general ways in which a child's phenotype "creates" his or her environment. Then provide specific examples of how Lenny may actively create his environment. How might Lenny's environment either support or undermine his high activity level?

Question 11

Describe three ways in which diseases and disorders can be transmitted genetically. For each way, provide an example of a disease or disorder that follows this manner of transmission, and provide a detailed description of how it is transmitted.

Question 12

Describe a possible design for two studies, one to examine the hypothesis that the brain of a rat has experience-expectant plasticity and one to examine the hypothesis that the brain of a rat has experience-dependent plasticity. Be sure to describe how each study would be conducted and what results would support the hypotheses.

Question 13

Describe three mechanisms for genetic diversity, and give examples of each mechanism. Discuss how these processes can result in beneficial genetic outcomes, as well as how they can produce disease and disorders.

Question 14

The National Association of Music Teachers is interested in the extent to which musical ability is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Design two studies, a twin study and an adoption study, to examine this issue. For each study, discuss which groups of participants will be compared. Describe what results would lead to the conclusion that musical ability is influenced to a large degree by genetic factors and what results would lead to the conclusion that musical ability is influenced to a large degree by environmental factors.

Question 15

Write a brief article for a parenting magazine on what parents should and should not do to encourage healthy eating in their children and to discourage them from becoming obese.

Question 16

Julia and Carolyn are teenage identical twins who have lived together since birth. Julia is a star student who plans to be a pediatrician. Carolyn is failing in school and has no plans for her future. Their parents often wonder how the girls could be so different, considering that they are genetically identical and that they grew up in the same family. Give three examples of possible contributors to the differences between these sisters.

Question 17

Imagine three individuals who have all sustained similar brain damage. One brain-damaged patient is a newborn, one is a preschooler, and one is a teenager. Using information on brain development at each of these ages, describe and explain how this similar brain damage might have similar or different effects for the three individuals.

Question 18

Describe the development of neurons and synapses in the human brain. When are new neurons first created, and for how long into the life of an individual do they continue to be created? When and for how long into the life of an individual are new synapses created?

Question 19

Describe the components of the neuron and explain how neurons transfer information to one another.

Question 20

Describe the concepts of shared environment and non-shared environment and give two examples of each. How do behaviour geneticists examine the effects of each of these two contributors to development?

Question 21

Describe three environmental factors that play a role in obesity in Canada.