CHAPTER 6 BODY AND BEHAVIOR

HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT

• Heredity- the genetic transmission of characteristics from parents to their offspring
• Together environment and heredity affect your body and behavior

A QUESTION OF NATURE VS. NURTURE

• Nature- the characteristics that a person inherits, his or her biological makeup
• Nurture- environmental factors such as family, culture, education, and individual experiences
• Sir Francis Galton became one of the first to preach the importance of nature
• In 1869 he published "Hereditary Genius," a book in which he found that the cause of success was heredity
• John Watson, the founder of behaviorism, emphasized the importance of the environment

GENES AND BEHAVIOR

• Genes- basic building blocks of heredity
• They are reproduced and passed along from parent to child
• These structures must interact with the environment to produce behavior

DNA AND GENES

• Molecules of DNA make up our chromosomes that contain the codes for our biological makeup
• The cell body contains 23 pairs of chromosomes
• Each choromosome is made of a long strand of DNA
• On each pair of chromosomes are genes, which are pieces of DNA that contain specific instructions
• A strand of DNA is stretched out to show that it looks like a twisted ladder with "chemical" rungs

TWIN STUDIES

• Identical twins- develop from a single fertilized egg (called monozygotic) and share the same genes
• Fraternal twins- develop from two fertilized eggs (called dizygotic) and their genes are not the same
• Twins share the same general environment and identical twins share the same genes
• Similarities between twins show that heredity may contribute to behaviors we normally associate with experience
• Researchers believe that many of the differences among people are caused by heredity and experience

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Richard A. "Understanding Psychology." McGraw Hill/Glencoe: United States of America, 2013.
• "Cell Chromosomes and DNA." Science Learning. The University of Waikato, 28 June 2011. Web. 9 Nov 2014.
• "Types of Twins." The Best of Twins. N.p., 22 July 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2014.
• Rodriguez, Tommy. "Heredity." Darwin Was Right. DarwinWasRight.org, 2012. Web. 9 Nov 2014.