Question 1

Which of the following attributes seems to have the lowest heritability coefficient?
A) phobias
B) alcoholism
C) extraversion
D) depression

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that phobias have the lowest heritability coefficient, with estimates ranging from 0 to 30%. This indicates that environmental factors play a significant role in the development of phobias. On the other hand, alcoholism, extraversion, and depression have higher heritability coefficients, indicating that genetic factors play a larger role in their development.

Question 2

The notion that humans could be improved through selective breeding is called________.
A) eugenics
B) cloning
C) behavioral Darwinism
D) heritability

Accepted Answer

The term used to describe the notion that humans could be improved through selective breeding is eugenics. Eugenics was a popular belief in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but it became discredited after being associated with Nazi Germany's policies of racial purity. Cloning involves creating an exact genetic copy of an organism, but it does not involve selective breeding in the same way that eugenics does. Behavioral Darwinism is not a recognized scientific term. Heritability refers to the degree to which an individual's traits are passed down through genetics, but it does not imply intentional selective breeding.

Question 3

The field of study that attempts to explain how individual differences in behavior (i.e.,personality traits)are shared by biological relatives is called ________.
A) evolutionary biology
B) behavioral genetics
C) heritability science
D) behavioral Darwinism.

Accepted Answer

The field of behavioral genetics investigates the role of genetics and environmental factors in shaping individual differences in behavior, including personality traits. Evolutionary biology and behavioral Darwinism are related fields but focus more on how evolution has shaped behavior rather than the role of genetics in individual differences. Heritability science is a concept within behavioral genetics that refers specifically to the extent to which genetics contribute to individual differences in a trait.

Question 4

The most controversial thing that has arisen from the study of behavioral genetics is that it has led to ________.
A) ideas such as eugenics and cloning
B) the chance that the public will think criminality is unchangeable
C) heated debates between behavioral geneticists and evolutionary psychologists
D) the chance that the public will think twins are the same in every way

Accepted Answer

The study of behavioral genetics has led to controversial ideas such as eugenics (selective breeding) and cloning, which raise ethical and moral concerns. These ideas have been criticized for potentially promoting discrimination and a lack of diversity in society.

Question 5

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) evolutionary psychologists
B) behavioral geneticist
C) heritability scientist
D) behavioral Darwinist

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychologists study how behavior patterns evolved through natural selection in order to gain insight into the fundamental processes that make up the human mind and behavior. The other options do not accurately describe this field of study.

Question 6

If a trait is influenced by genes,then it ought to be more highly correlated across pairs of ________ than across pairs of ________.
A) genetic siblings; fraternal twins
B) fraternal twins; identical twins
C) identical twins; fraternal twins
D) adoptive siblings; genetic siblings

Accepted Answer

Identical twins share all of their genes, while fraternal twins share only about 50% of their genes. Therefore, if a trait is influenced by genes, it should be more highly correlated across pairs of identical twins than across pairs of fraternal twins.

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

Behavioral genetics and trait psychology focus on individual differences in personality traits, while evolutionary psychology emphasizes traits and behaviors that are common across all humans due to shared evolutionary history.

Question 8

When personality psychologists measure trait differences in extraversion,what kinds of direct observations are they making?
A) phenotypic
B) genotypic
C) allelic
D) genome-wide

Accepted Answer

Personality psychologists are making phenotypic observations, which means they are observing and measuring observable traits or characteristics in individuals, such as social assertiveness, gregariousness, and sociability. Genotypic observations focus on genetic differences, allelic observations focus on differences in specific genes or alleles, and genome-wide observations examine differences across an entire genome.

Question 9

What is the correct formula for calculating heritability?
A) 2 (rMZ - rDZ)
B) 2 - (rMZ - rDZ)
C) 2 + (rMZ - rDZ)
D) 2 (rDZ - rMZ)

Accepted Answer

The correct formula for calculating heritability is 2 (rMZ - rDZ), where rMZ is the correlation coefficient between monozygotic twins and rDZ is the correlation coefficient between dizygotic twins. This formula takes into account the fact that monozygotic twins share 100% of their genetic material while dizygotic twins share 50%, allowing for a more accurate estimate of the contribution of genetics to a particular trait or characteristic.

Question 10

Jacob and Ashley have the same father but have different mothers.About how much genetic material do they share?
A) 0
B) .125
C) .25
D) .50

Accepted Answer

Jacob and Ashley have the same father, which means they share 50% of their genetic material from him. However, they have different mothers, which means they do not share any genetic material from their mothers. Therefore, the amount of genetic material they share is 50% x 50% = 25% or .25.

Question 11

According to the text,biology will NEVER be able to explain ________.
A) which brain structures are associated with depression
B) how people act in their daily social environments
C) how likely it is for schizophrenia to be passed down from mother to child
D) the influence increased serotonin has on changes in behavior

Accepted Answer

The text states that "biology may never be able to fully explain how people act in their daily social environments, as social behavior is influenced by a complex interplay of genetic, environmental, cultural, and individual factors." The other options have potential for biological explanations or associations.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Heritability statistics indicate the proportion of variance in a trait attributable to genetic differences among individuals in a population. They do not directly inform about the interaction between genes and environments in producing behavior; instead, they focus on the genetic contribution to trait variability.

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

Monozygotic (MZ) twins, also known as identical twins, originate from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, leading them to share 100% of their genes. Dizygotic (DZ) twins, or fraternal twins, come from two different eggs fertilized by two different sperm, sharing on average 50% of their genes, similar to any other pair of siblings.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

The correlation of personality traits between adoptive siblings raised in the same family being only around .05 suggests that growing up in the same home environment has a minimal effect on personality. If the effect was significant, the correlation between adoptive siblings would be higher, closer to the correlation found in MZ twins who share both genes and environment.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

The presence of interactive genetic effects could explain the difference in heritability coefficients between twin and non-twin studies. Twin studies assume that the genetic and environmental effects are the same for both twins, but in non-twin studies, there may be interactive genetic effects, where the effect of one gene depends on the presence of another gene. This could lead to a lower heritability coefficient in non-twin studies.

Question 16

According to estimates based on twin studies,the average heritability coefficient of many traits of personality is about ________ when using self-reports of personality.
A) .20
B) .40
C) .80
D) 1.0

Accepted Answer

According to twin studies, the average heritability coefficient of many traits of personality is about .40 when using self-reports of personality.

Question 17

The ________ refers to the underlying genetic structure that leads to the observable ________.
A) phenotype; genogram
B) genotype; phenotype
C) phenotype; genotype
D) genetic map; genetic architecture

Accepted Answer

Genotype refers to the underlying genetic structure that leads to the observable phenotype. Phenotype refers to the observable characteristics and traits of an individual that are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The other options (A, C, and D) are either incorrect or do not correctly explain the relationship between genotype and phenotype.

Question 18

If the correlation between the shyness of a sample of dizygotic twin pairs is .25 and the correlation between the shyness of a sample of monozygotic twin pairs is .50,then the heritability coefficient for shyness is ________.
A) .125
B) .250
C) .500
D) 2.00

Accepted Answer

The heritability coefficient is the proportion of the variance in a trait that is due to genetic factors. Since monozygotic twins share 100% of their genes while dizygotic twins share, on average, 50% of their genes, the difference in correlations between the two types of twins can be used to estimate heritability. In this case, the difference between the correlation for dizygotic twins (.25) and the correlation for monozygotic twins (.50) is .25, which indicates that genetic factors account for 50% of the variance in shyness (.25 ÷ .50 = .50). Therefore, the correct answer is C (.500).

Question 19

The presence of schizophrenia was measured in both monozygotic (MZ)and dizygotic (DZ)twins.The correlation between the MZ twins was .50 and the correlation between the DZ twins was .30.What is the heritability coefficient for schizophrenia?
A) .80
B) .20
C) .40
D) .65

Accepted Answer

The heritability coefficient for schizophrenia can be estimated using the formula 2(rmz - rdz), where rmz is the correlation for monozygotic twins and rdz is the correlation for dizygotic twins. Plugging in the given values, we get 2(.50 - .30) = .40.

Question 20

According to studies of non-twin relatives,the average heritability coefficient for most traits is about ________.
A) .20
B) .40
C) .60
D) .80

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to studies of non-twin relatives,the average...

Quiz 9: The Inheritance of Personality: Behavioral Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology

Which of the following attributes seems to have the lowest heritability coefficient?

The notion that humans could be improved through selective breeding is called________.

The field of study that attempts to explain how individual differences in behavior (i.e.,personality traits) are shared by biological relatives is called ________.

The most controversial thing that has arisen from the study of behavioral genetics is that it has led to ________.

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 ________.

If a trait is influenced by genes,then it ought to be more highly correlated across pairs of than across pairs of .

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

When personality psychologists measure trait differences in extraversion,what kinds of direct observations are they making?

What is the correct formula for calculating heritability?

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

According to the text,biology will NEVER be able to explain ________.

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.

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

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

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

The refers to the underlying genetic structure that leads to the observable .

If the correlation between the shyness of a sample of dizygotic twin pairs is .25 and the correlation between the shyness of a sample of monozygotic twin pairs is .50,then the heritability coefficient for shyness is ________.

The presence of schizophrenia was measured in both monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins.The correlation between the MZ twins was .50 and the correlation between the DZ twins was .30.What is the heritability coefficient for schizophrenia?

According to studies of non-twin relatives,the average heritability coefficient for most traits is about ________.