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70 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
chromosomes |
threadlike structures that are made of DNA molecules contain genes |
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DNA |
complex molecule containing the genetic makeup of a chromosome forms a double helix |
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genes |
the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes or a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein |
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genome |
complete instructions for making an organism; consists of all the genetic material in its chromosomes human genome has 3 billion pairs of weakly-bonded nucleotides (forms coiled chains of DNA) |
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natural selection |
principle that those that lead to increased reproduction rate and survival will most likely be passed on through generations survival of the fittest |
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mutation |
random error in gene replication affects genetic diversity |
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evolutionary psychology |
study of evolution of behavior and the mind uses principles of natural selection |
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gender |
characteristics by which people identify as male or female different than sex |
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behavior genetics |
study of relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior assesses differences in each other |
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environment |
every nongenetic influence from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us |
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identical twins |
twins who develop from a single, fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms molly and anne |
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fraternal twins |
twins who develop from separate eggs, sharing just a fetal environment dad and toby |
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temperament |
a person's emotional reactivity and intensity different for everyone |
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heritability |
proportion of variation among individuals that are attributed to genes what traits your parents passed down |
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interaction |
dependence of the effect of one factor on another factor such as environment on heredity |
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molecular genetics |
subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes used in behavior genetics |
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culture |
enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions held by a large group of people passed on by one generation to the next |
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norm |
understood rule for accepted and expected behavior describes "proper" behavior in a society and is different for each society |
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personal space |
buffer zone we like to maintain around ourselves "bubble" |
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memes |
self-replicating ideas, fashions, and innovations passed from person to person these things change so rapidly that they are given their own term |
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X chromosome |
sex chromosome given from the mother found in both male and females |
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Y chromosome |
sex chromosome given from the father found only in males |
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testosterone |
most important male hormone males and females both have it, but males have additional |
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role |
set of expectations about a social position and how they should behave set of norms |
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gender role |
set of expected behaviors for males and for females often blurred |
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gender identity |
one's sense of being a male or female disregards biological dispositions...one can be born a male and identify as a female |
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gender-typing |
acquisition of a traditional masculine and feminine role some boys exhibit more masculine traits than others, and some girls exhibit more feminine traits than others |
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social learning theory |
theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished assumes that we learn behaviors like this |
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gender schema theory |
theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male or female they adjust their behavior accordingly |
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developmental psychology |
studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout life span |
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zygote |
fertilized egg 2-week period of rapid cell division that forms an embryo |
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embryo |
developing human organism 2-weeks through second month |
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fetus |
developing human organism 9-weeks through birth |
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teratogens |
agents that reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm chemicals and viruses |
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fetal alcohol syndrome |
physical and mental abnormalities in children caused by pregnant woman's heaving drinking in severe cases, causes noticeable facial misproportions |
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rooting reflex |
baby's tendency when touched on the cheek to open mouth and search for a nipple shows behavioral sequences in infants |
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maturation |
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior relatively uninfluenced by experience |
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schema |
concept or framework that organizes and interprets information mental molds |
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assimilation |
interpreting one's new experience in terms of one's existing schemas having a simple schema of a "dog" may cause a toddler to call all four-legged animals "doggies" |
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accomodation |
adapting one's schemas to incorporate new info toddlers will realize that "doggies" is too broad and narrow it |
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cognition |
all mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating grows in distinct stages |
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sensorimotor stage |
birth to 2 years infants know the world mostly in terms of their senses |
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object permanence |
awareness that that things exist and continue to exist after they disappear from sight putting a ball under a blanket and whether or not they will know it still exists |
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preoperational stage |
2 years to 6 or 7 years child learns language but does not yet comprehend mental operations of concrete logic |
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conservation |
principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in forms of objects thin and tall cup vs short and wide cup, same amount of liquid |
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egocentrism |
inability of a preoperational child to take another's point of view terrible 2's |
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theory of mind |
people's ideas about their own and other's mental states about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts |
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autism |
disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of other's states of mind a child with autism fails to understand emotional signals from other people |
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concrete operational stage |
6 or 7 years to 11 or 12 years children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events |
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formal operational stage |
11 or 12 years people begin to think logically about abstract concepts |
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stranger anxiety |
fear of strangers that infants commonly display begins at about 8 months |
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attachment |
emotional tie with another person shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver by showing distress on seperation |
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critical period |
optimal period when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development shortly after birth |
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imprinting |
process which certain animals form attachments during early critical periods jacob and renesmee (twilight) |
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basic trust |
sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences |
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self-concept |
sense of one's identity and personal worth |
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adolescence |
transition period from childhood to adulthood extends from puberty to independence |
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puberty |
period of sexual maturation person becomes able to reproduce |
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primary sex characteristics |
body structures that make sexual reproduction possible external genitalia females- ovaries males- testicles |
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secondary sex characteristics |
nonreproductive sexual characteristics females- hips and breasts AND APPARENTLY SHOULDERS males- voice quality and body hair |
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menarche |
first menstrual period awful |
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identity |
one's sense of self an adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles |
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intimacy |
ability to form close, loving relationships primary task in late adolescence and early adulthood |
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menopause |
time of natural cessation of menstruation also refers to biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines |
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Alzeimer's disease |
progressive and irreversible brain disorder gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and physical functioning |
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cross-sectional study |
people of different ages are compared to one another helps conclude mental ability decline as a person ages |
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longitudinal study |
same people are restudied and retested over a long period of time revealed that intelligence remains stable until late in life |
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crystallized intelligence |
one's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills tends to increase with age |
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fluid intelligence |
one's ability to speedily and abstractly reason tends to decrease during late adulthood |
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social clock |
culturally preferred timing of social events marriage, parenthood, retirement...etc |