Exam 3: Genes, Evolution, and Environment

According to the principle of natural selection, the fate of genetic variations depends on the environment.

Social scientists disagree on the role of evolution in accounting for the complex issue of courtship and mating. How do sociobiologists explain these issues? How do evolutionary psychologists differ in their explanations? What basic issue divides evolutionary psychologists and their critics?

An evolutionary theorist would have difficulty explaining all of the following EXCEPT:

Many evolutionary psychologists believe that people are born with mental modules for all of the following basic cognitive skills EXCEPT:

For many years, psychologists addressing questions about human differences tended to fall into two camps; those who emphasized the role of genes in human diversity were called empiricists.

Behavioural-genetic studies have shown that:

Over the past century and a half, Darwin's ideas have been resoundingly supported by findings in anthropology, botany, and molecular genetics.

Our textbook describes four influences that have been associated with reduced mental abilities in children. Discuss these four risk factors. In contrast, a stimulating environment can promote mental performance. What aspects of mental enrichment made a difference to the children who participated in the longitudinal study called the Abecedarian Project?

Evolutionary psychologists and sociobiologists would agree that:

Roger Bingham wrote: "We live in the space age with a brain from the stone age." This remark reflects the notion that:

Contrast the positions of the nativists with that of the empiricists. Name a leading proponent of each camp.

________ is an interdisciplinary field that emphasizes evolutionary explanations of social behaviour in animals, including human beings.

What do evolutionary psychologists mean when they say that the human mind developed as a collection of specialized and independent modules? How have critics responded to this assumption?

With regard to the interaction between genes and experience:

In Chapter 1 (What Is Psychology?) the importance of critical thinking was noted. In particular, a critical thinker looks beyond the obvious and resists easy generalizations. Analyze the sex differences in courtship and mating that are common in cultures around the world and among nonhuman mammals. How would you respond to the following question: Do genes hold culture on a tight leash; a long, flexible leash; or no leash at all? (Make sure that you avoid oversimplification in your essay!)

Which of the following does NOT belong with the others?

Match these definitions with the appropriate term. -A rod-shaped structure within the nucleus of a cell that carries the genes.

For children and adolescents, heritability estimates average around 0.75; that is, about three-quarters of the variance in IQ scores is explainable by genetic differences.