Deck 2: Genetics and Evolution

Question 1

What are electrochemical messengers that transmit information or impulses between nerve cells called?

A) Alleles
B) Neurons
C) Neurotransmitters
D) Hormones
E) Enzymes

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which statement below accurately describes human chromosomes?

A) Human cells typically contain 46 chromosomes.
B) Half of our chromosomes come from each one of our biological parents.
C) Chromosomes consist of a strand of DNA.
D) Chromosomes are arranged in pairs.
E) All of the above

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Diana Fishbein's (2001) view that the people most at risk of offending are genetically loaded reflects the idea that no single gene is responsible for criminal behaviour, but rather the influence of genetics is which of the following?

A) Epigenetic
B) Dizygotic
C) Polygenic
D) Multigenic
E) Monogenic

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true of monozygotic twins?

A) They develop from two zygotes that merge into a single zygote.
B) They may be the opposite sex of one another.
C) They possess exactly the same genetic material.
D) They are more commonly known as fraternal twins.
E) All of the above

Question 5

Which term refers to the percentage of twins or paired individuals who match one another with respect to the presence of a specific characteristic?

A) Twinning rate
B) Matching rate
C) Zygosity rate
D) Agreement rate
E) Concordance rate

Question 6

Most reviews of twin studies investigating the possibility of a genetic link to criminal behaviour conclude which of the following?

A) A genetic link does NOT exist because monozygotic twins generally exhibit higher concordance rates for criminal behaviour than dizygotic twins.
B) A genetic link does exist because monozygotic twins generally exhibit higher concordance rates for criminal behaviour than dizygotic twins.
C) A genetic link does NOT exist because dizygotic twins generally exhibit higher concordance rates for criminal behaviour than monozygotic twins.
D) A genetic link does exist because dizygotic twins generally exhibit higher concordance rates for criminal behaviour than monozygotic twins.
E) The evidence is unclear because monozygotic and dizygotic twins generally exhibit the same concordance rates for criminal behaviour.

Question 7

The adoption study conducted by Mednick et al. (1984, 1987) found that criminal convictions were most common among adopted children with which of the following?

A) A birth parent who was criminal
B) An adoptive parent who was criminal
C) Both a birth and an adoptive parent who was criminal
D) Neither a birth nor an adoptive parent who was criminal
E) None of the above

Question 8

In the diathesis-stress model, a diathesis refers to which of the following?

A) A pathological condition that develops as a result of too much stress
B) A genetic predisposition to develop a pathological condition
C) The environmental conditions responsible for triggering a pathological condition
D) The source or cause of stress in someone's life
E) None of the above

Question 9

Of the following, who would be the most likely homicide victim as a result of family violence, according to evolutionary concepts like inclusive fitness?

A) Brother
B) Grandparent
C) Parent
D) Spouse
E) Sister

Question 10

Which term refers to a gene that comes in more than one form?

A) Polygenic
B) Monogenic
C) Multigenic
D) Polymorphism
E) Digenic

Question 11

Which of the following statements concerning adaptations is NOT true?

A) Adaptations are shaped through the process of natural selection.
B) Adaptations are the result of conscious decisions by members of a species.
C) Adaptations may involve changes to a species' structure, physiology or psychology.
D) Adaptations improve a species' ability to survive or reproduce.
E) An adaptation that is advantageous at one time period may be disadvantageous or maladaptive at another.

Question 12

In the context of the so-called nature versus nurture debate over human behaviour, which of the following is an example of a possible influence that would be considered "nature"?

A) Associating with antisocial peers
B) Carrying the low-activity MAOA allele
C) Maltreatment as a child
D) Living in a high-crime neighbourhood
E) None of the above

Question 13

The differential-susceptibility model hypothesizes that people vary genetically with respect to which of the following?

A) Their environmental sensitivity
B) Their physical fitness
C) Their personality traits
D) Their intelligence
E) Their interests

Question 14

What is the model of gene-environment interactions that suggests the same individuals who will exhibit the greatest offending in "bad" environments will also exhibit the least offending in "good" environments?

A) Alternative strategy
B) Frequency dependent
C) Diathesis-stress
D) Differential susceptibility
E) Environmental victimization

Question 15

From the perspective of evolutionary psychology, what concept may account for the actions of individuals who help people who are genetically unrelated to themselves?

A) Tit-for-tat fitness
B) Stranger-directed altruism
C) Reciprocal cooperation
D) Non-genetic altruism
E) Non-genetic cooperation

Question 16

It is speculated that which process, which affects gene activity level without altering the genetic sequence, could be responsible for gene-environment interactions like the one Caspi et al. (2002) observed for MAOA?

A) Multigenics
B) Polygenics
C) Polymorphisms
D) Monogenics
E) Epigenetics

Question 17

Which evolutionary concept best explains the self-sacrificing behaviour of parents who rush into burning buildings to save their children?

A) Natural selection
B) Inclusive fitness
C) Reciprocal cooperation
D) Intrasexual competition
E) Survival of the fittest

Question 18

What is the specific set of conditions that existed at the time during which an adaptation emerged called?

A) Period of natural selection
B) Evolutionary priming environment
C) Ancestral circumstances
D) Environment of evolutionary adaptiveness
E) Situation of susceptibility

Question 19

Wiebe's (2012) remark that "if everyone cheated, soon nobody would cooperate," reflects the evolutionary view that cheating behaviour is which of the following?

A) Low-ceiling strategy
B) Curvilinear strategy
C) Saturation-susceptible strategy
D) Proportionate strategy
E) Frequency-dependent strategy

Question 20

According to the theory of Campbell (2002), women are less likely than men to engage in crime because they have an evolved psychological mechanism that causes them to do which of the following?

A) Feel more empathy for victims
B) Feel more guilt when they violate their morals
C) Feel more fear over risky and dangerous actions
D) Consider their actions more carefully and act less impulsively
E) Both A and D

Question 21

Fundamental to alternative strategy evolutionary theories of criminal behaviour is the idea that individuals exhibit gene-based differences in their traits, which are linked to which of the following?

A) Reproductive strategy
B) Cooperative behaviour strategy
C) Food gathering strategy
D) Self-protection strategy
E) Food sharing strategy

Question 22

According to some evolutionary psychologists, the traits that facilitate antisocial and criminal behaviour are associated with a reproductive strategy that emphasizes which of the following?

A) Natural selection
B) Parenting effort
C) Survival of the fittest
D) Mating effort
E) Cheating effort

Question 23

According to the evolutionary psychology theory advanced by Kanazawa (2003), the shape of the age-crime curve for males reflects the rise and fall of which of the following?

A) Child-rearing responsibilities
B) Participation in intrasexual competition
C) Need for resources (food, shelter, etc.)
D) Physical fitness and survival skills
E) Academic interests

Question 24

According to the evolutionary psychology theory advanced by Kanazawa (2003), the decline in the age-crime curve for males occurs when men do which of the following?

A) Secure employment and have reliable access to resources (e.g., food, shelter)
B) Become sexually active
C) Experience a substantial decline in their physical strength and abilities
D) Have their first child
E) Graduate from high school

Question 25

Conditional adaptation evolutionary theories suggest the primary factor governing whether someone adopts a strategy involving antisocial or criminal behaviours is which of the following?

A) The presence of certain gene-based personality traits
B) The age at which sexual activity is first initiated
C) The frequency of sexual activity
D) The number of offspring produced
E) The environmental conditions experienced

Question 26

According to the evolutionary psychological theory advanced by Campbell (2002), the criminal behaviour of women is more likely than men to be motivated by the desire to do which of the following?

A) Provide for their offspring
B) Enhance their personal status
C) Enhance their attractiveness to others
D) Enhance the status of their offspring
E) Have additional offspring

Question 27

What is the main difficulty with drawing conclusions about the relationship of genetics and criminality on the basis of twin studies?

A) Most twin studies were conducted in Scandinavian countries.
B) Dizygotic and monozygotic twins cannot be reliably distinguished.
C) The base rate of criminal behaviour is too low to reliably measure.
D) Monozygotic twins may be treated more similarly than dizygotic twins.
E) Most of the study results were politically driven.

Question 28

What is monoamine oxidase A (MAOA)?

A) A type of neurotransmitter
B) An enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters
C) An allele
D) A rare genetic defect
E) The gene responsible for criminal behaviour

Question 29

Which field studies how natural selection shaped and influenced mental processes and behaviours?

A) Evolutionary psychology
B) Behavioural genetics
C) Epigenetics
D) Evolutionary physiology
E) Behavioural psychology

Question 30

Meta-analyses pooling the results of twin and adoption studies to calculate the relative influence of heredity and the environment on antisocial and aggressive behaviour found which of the following?

A) Heredity had little or no influence.
B) The environment had little or no influence.
C) Heredity and the environment were both influential but the effect of heredity was stronger.
D) Heredity and the environment were both influential but the effect of the environment was stronger.
E) Heredity and the environment were both equally influential.

Question 31

Explain the difference between monozygotic and dizygotic twins in terms of their development and their shared genetic makeup. If a genetic influence exists, which type of twins should exhibit a higher concordance for criminal behaviour?

Question 32

Draw a diagram of the 2 × 2 research design used by Mednick et al. (1983, 1984) in their adoption study and label all the cells. Identify which group of participants (i.e., which cell) was associated with the highest level of criminal behaviour among the adoptees, which one was associated with the lowest level, and which two were associated with intermediate levels of criminal behaviour.

Question 33

What did Diana Fishbein (2001) mean when she stated that individuals who are at risk of offending are genetically loaded?

Question 34

Explain the nature versus nurture debate over human behaviour. What does it mean if there is an interaction between nature and nurture?

Question 35

Why does Crawford (1998) describe altruistic acts that help genetic relatives as a "special kind of selfishness"? Identify the evolutionary concept that applies to this type of behaviour.

Question 36

Explain and distinguish parenting and mating effort reproductive strategies and identify which one is associated with traits likely to lead to criminal behaviour.

Question 37

What limit exists on cheating behaviour that prevents it from becoming more widespread in the population? What is the term used to identify behavioural strategies that are limited in this manner?

Question 38

Briefly outline Campbell's (2002) evolutionary theory of "staying alive" and explain how it accounts for the gap between the amount of crime committed by men and women.

Question 39

Describe the evolutionary psychology theory advanced by Kanazawa (2003) to explain the age-crime curve for males. As part of your answer, explain all relevant terms and concepts.

Question 40

Describe the diathesis-stress and differential susceptibility models and explain how each one accounts for the interaction between genetics and the environment. As part of your answer explain all relevant terms and concepts.