Question 1

A scientist who studies behavior genetics would be most interested in

Accepted Answer

Behavior genetics focuses on understanding how both genetics and the environment contribute to individual variations in human behavior, which makes option D the most relevant to this field of study.

Question 2

Although other scientists were slow to accept this conclusion, behavior genetics established that

Accepted Answer

Behavior genetics has shown that genetics can significantly influence individual differences in psychological traits, such as intelligence and personality.

Question 3

Studies of pairs of twins like the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart are examples of

Accepted Answer

The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart and similar studies are considered natural experiments because they investigate the effects of environmental and genetic factors on twins who were raised in different environments, without the manipulation of variables by researchers.

Question 4

Which of the following is not true of a "natural" experiment?

Accepted Answer

True random assignment to conditions is typically not possible in natural experiments because the experimenter does not control the assignment of participants to conditions; instead, this assignment is determined by natural or external conditions.

Question 5

Twins that develop from a single egg and share100 of the same genes are called ____________ twins. Twins that develop from separate eggs and thus only share 50 percent of the same genes are called ____________ twins.

Accepted Answer

Twins that develop from a single egg and share 100% of the same genes are called monozygotic twins, while twins that develop from separate eggs and share 50% of the same genes are called dizygotic twins.

Question 6

Which of the following statements summarizes the logical conclusions of twins studies?

Accepted Answer

Monozygotic twins, who share 100% of their genes, tend to exhibit more similar psychological traits than dizygotic twins, who share about 50% of their genes, highlighting the genetic influence on these traits.

Question 7

The importance of genes for the development of behavioral traits is most obvious in cases of twins that are

Accepted Answer

The importance of genes for the development of behavioral traits becomes most evident in studies of twins reared apart. This setting allows researchers to distinguish between the effects of genetics and environment, as twins share the same genetic makeup but, when reared apart, are exposed to different environments.

Question 8

Twin studies have illustrated the influence of genetics in all of the following examples, EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Twin studies have shown that genetics play a significant role in sexual orientation, personality and temperament, and the tendency toward mental disorders. However, an individualist or collectivist worldview is more strongly influenced by cultural and environmental factors rather than genetics.

Question 9

Studies of adopted children conducted by behavior geneticists have revealed mixed results such that

Accepted Answer

Adopted children tend to be more similar to their adoptive parents in terms of personality traits than to their birth parents. This is likely due to the fact that they are raised in the same environment and share similar experiences.

Question 10

This statistic represents the degree to which genes and environments contribute to the variation among people in a particular sample on that trait.

Accepted Answer

Heritability is the statistic that measures the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

Question 11

When comparing samples of middle-class and impoverished twins, researchers have found that

Accepted Answer

In impoverished environments, the influence of genes on IQ is often reduced due to the overriding impact of environmental factors, leading to genes accounting for less than 10% of IQ differences.

Question 12

The field of molecular genetics differs from behavior genetics in that

Accepted Answer

Molecular genetics focuses on the structure and function of genes at a molecular level, including the identification of specific genes responsible for various traits. Behavior genetics, on the other hand, studies the genetic and environmental influences on behaviors, not necessarily identifying the specific genes.

Question 13

A gene-environment correlation can be said to exist in all of the following examples, EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Gene-environment correlations refer to the ways in which an individual's genetic makeup influences their exposure to certain environments. Choices A, B, and C all describe scenarios where an individual's inherited traits (IQ, temperament, reading skills) influence their interactions with their environment. However, choice D describes a direct consequence of a genetic disorder (cystic fibrosis) leading to medical interventions, which is not an example of a gene-environment correlation but rather a direct effect of a genetic condition on an individual's health.

Question 14

Some gene-environment correlations are "active" in that an individual

Accepted Answer

Active gene-environment correlations occur when an individual's genotype influences their tendency to seek out certain environments. For example, a person with a genetic predisposition for high energy levels might be more inclined to engage in sports or outdoor activities.

Question 15

A passive gene-environment correlation will probably occur

Accepted Answer

Passive gene-environment correlation occurs when a child's family environment, influenced by parental genes, provides experiences that are correlated with the child's own genetic tendencies. In choice B, a parent exposing a child to different activities, regardless of the child's interest, reflects this scenario where the environment is shaped by the parent's interests or genetic predispositions, potentially aligning with or enhancing the child's own genetic predispositions.

Question 16

When a child's behavior evokes particular kinds of behavior around her, this type of gene-environment correlation is likely to occur.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When a child's behavior evokes particular kinds...

Question 17

Lateisha's is a particularly neurotic person in relation to the rest of her family. When she has assignments due at school, she tends to procrastinate more than her older brother Cedric because she becomes so anxious. This is an example of a(n)

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of a gene-environment interaction because it illustrates how Lateisha's genetic predisposition (her neuroticism, which is influenced by her genes) interacts with her environment (school assignments) to influence her behavior (procrastination due to anxiety).

Question 18

Which of the following is correct regarding the acceptance of the idea that humans evolved from earlier forms of life?

Accepted Answer

Evolution is widely accepted among Americans with higher levels of education, with about 74% of those holding post-graduate degrees accepting the idea that humans evolved from earlier forms of life.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a basic, indisputable fact of evolution?

Accepted Answer

Behavioral traits are indeed influenced by natural selection, but stating they are selected based on fitness to the environment oversimplifies the complex interactions between genetics, environment, and behavior. Evolution involves a wide range of factors, and while fitness plays a role, it's not the sole criterion for the selection of behavioral traits.

Question 20

Scientific investigations of differences in the behavior of men and women thoughout different cultures would probably be led by

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychologists study how evolutionary principles such as natural selection influence human behaviors, including differences between men and women across cultures.

Quiz 3: The Nature and Nurture of Behavior