FLASH CARDS
www.BiologicalPsych.com
Kalat’s Book
Chapter 1
Alphabetical
altruistic behavior
altruistic behavior
Sacrificing personal welfare being to help
another. Seen in many species, particularly
in kin relationships.
artificial selection
artificial selection
Also called selective breeding. Intentional
breeding for favorite or special traits.
Filters out unwanted traits. Darwin term.
autosomal gene
autosomal gene
A gene on a non-sex chromosome.
biological psychology
biological psychology
Also called physiological psychology,
behavioral neuroscience, & psychobiology.
The brain people of psychology & the mind
people of neuroscience. Human & animal
studies are used to explain human behavior
through biological principles.
chromosome
chromosome
Encoded genetic information in a single
piece of DNA. Humans have 22 non-sex
chromosomes and 1 sex-determining
chromosome. Each chromosome can
contain many genes.
Darwinian evolution
Darwinian evolution
Theory of Charles Darwin (1808–1882). His
two main assumptions were common
ancestry and natural selection.
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
A spiral shaped molecule composed of two
duplicate strands, headed in opposite
directions. The structure is bound together
by 2 sugars and four bases, and is resistant
to cleavage.
dizygotic twin
dizygotic twin
Twins but from two separate egg-sperm
combinations. Also called fraternal twins.
The most common type of twin.
dominant gene
dominant gene
Trait will appear in all offspring, even if
only one parent has this gene.
dualism
dualism
Descartes dualism maintains that the mind
and body are separate entities but meet in
the pineal gland.
easy problems of consciousness
easy problems of consciousness
Easy problems are how we focus attention,
integrate audio streams, and make visual
discriminations. Chalmers (1995)
enzymes
enzymes
Large molecules that increase rate of
chemical reactions by lowering the amount
of energy needed to make a reaction.
Catalysts.
epigenetics
epigenetics
Epi (over and beyond), genetics (DNA). The
study of how things other than changes in
the genetic code impact the expression of
genes. Why twins become less alike as
they age.
evolution
evolution
How populations change over generations.
Major theories are Lamarkian and
Darwinian.
evolutionary explanation
evolutionary explanation
Uses evolution to explain current behavior.
Observation that people come from a long
line of hunter and gatherers is used to
explain current activities. “We weren’t
built to sit all day.”
evolutionary psychology
evolutionary psychology
Explains memory, cognition, perception
and other psychological phenomenon in
terms of evolutionary theory.
fitness
fitness
A concept of evolution. Likelihood a trait
will survive in offspring.
functional explanation
functional explanation
As opposed to structural. Focus is on
software. Behaviors is a result of learning,
experience and environmental factors.
genes
genes
A subunit of DNA that carries a specific
genetic instruction.
hard problem of consciousness
hard problem of consciousness
Chalmers (1995) term for explaining mental
phenomena by mechanical & biological
processes. The hard problem is that our
experience is more than the sum of the parts.
We experience flavors, colors and events, not
just process data.
heritability
heritability
Either the proportion of a trait in a population or
how much individual differences impact
behavior. Statistically, how much does genetics
influences height in a population. Or what is the
relative importance of genetics, chance and the
environment on a person’s behavior.
heterozygous
heterozygous
Receive different trait characteristic from
each parent. Gene information doesn’t
agree.
homozygous
homozygous
Receive same trait characteristic from each
parent. Two identical copies of gene.
kin selection
kin selection
Specifically, we are more likely to help
relatives than strangers. Generally, the
interaction between relatives impacts the
frequency of genes in offspring.
Lamarckian evolution
Lamarckian evolution
Theory of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744–1829).
His two main assumptions were that organisms
move continuously toward complexity (inherent
progressive tendency); and that what you learn
in your life can be passed on genetically to your
offspring (also called soft inheritance).
mind–body problem
mind–brain problem
mind–body problem
mind–brain problem
How a material brain and a spiritual mind
can exist. Usually seen as a choice between
dualism and monism.
monism
monism
Physical monists, such as Hobbes, hold that
all that exists is the physical; soul and mind
are illusions. Berkeley (a spiritual monist)
says that all that exists is the spiritual; we all
exist in God’s mind, body is an illusion.
monozygotic twins
monozygotic twins
Twins from the same egg-sperm. Separates
into two zygotes usually by Day 12 of
development. Only 30% of twins are
monozygotic. Also called identical twins.
mutation
mutation
Changes in genes by virus or non-genetic
influences.
natural selection
natural selection
Gradual process where traits become more
or less common because of mutations and
changes in environment. Also called
survival of the fittest. Darwin term.
ontogenetic explanation
ontogenetic explanation
Behavior is a result of genes and
environment. Language needs both a gene
for throat development and early exposure
to sounds.
physiological explanation
physiological explanation
Behavior is the result of biological
structures and processes.
recessive gene
recessive gene
Trait will not appear in all offspring but will
show when child receives two copies of
recessive gene.
reciprocal altruism
reciprocal altruism
Mutual benefit behaviors; you scratch my
back, I’ll rub your feet.
ribonucleic acid (RNA)
ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Family of single-stranded molecules that
code, decode, regulate and express genetic
instructions.
sex-linked gene
sex-linked gene
A gene on a X or Y chromosome.
Determine sex but also impact traits such
as color blindness or hemophilia.
sex-limited gene
sex-limited gene
Autosomal gene in both sexes but
expressed differently (if at all) in each.
Males strong, females timid; milk
production in females, not in males.
structural explanation
structural explanation
As opposed to functional. Focus is on
hardware. Behavior is a result of physical
and mechanical processes.
survival of the fittest
survival of the fittest
Environmental changes make certain traits
more or less common. If the trait helps the
animal survive, it will be more common in
offspring. Also called natural selection.
Darwin term.
www.BiologicalPsych.com