Genetics
Definition
Genetics is the study of heredity and variations in organisms due to genes.
Analogy
Think about baking cookies using your grandma's recipe. The recipe (genes) you inherited from your grandma determines what kind of cookies you'll end up with (traits). But how you mix those ingredients or maybe add some extras can create slight variations each time you bake them - just like how environment interacts with our genes leading to individual differences.
Related terms
Genotype: This refers to an individual's complete set of genes. It's like having all possible recipes for making cookies but not knowing which ones will actually be baked.
Phenotype: This is an observable trait or characteristic resulting from genotype interacting with environment - it’s what kind of cookie you actually get!
Allele: An allele is a variant form of a gene; it's like a different version of the same recipe.
"Genetics" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (18)
- Which psychological theory emphasizes the importance of both genetics and personal experiences in human development?
- Who proposed the "diathesis-stress model" highlighting the role of both genetics and environment in psychological disorders?
- Why might it be ethically problematic to use theories about genetics' role in depression when prescribing treatments?
- What does research in genetics tell us about the heritability of human long-term memory capability?
- What concept describes the degree of variation in a population that can be attributed to genetics?
- Which statistical technique would psychologists use to determine whether intelligence is more influenced by genetics or environment?
- Which best describes how genetics and environment interact in child physical development?
- How has our understanding of the role of genetics in physical development evolved over time?
- What does research suggest about the correlation between genetics vs environmental factors in determining sexual orientation?
- Which statement best summarizes the relationship between genetics and environment in determining an individual's sexual orientation?
- Whose trait theory suggests that personality is largely influenced by genetics and can be described using three broad traits: extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism?
- What principle states that genetics, brain structure, and chemistry are major causes of psychological disorders?
- Which approach views psychological disorders as biologically-based with origins in genetics or neurochemical imbalances?
- In what way does knowledge from genetics contribute to our understanding of schizophrenic spectrum disorders?
- What alternative explanation could contest the assumption that genetics are predominantly responsible for Tourette syndrome?
- How do genetics and environmental influences interplay in the development of an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa?
- Which psychological perspective focuses on the influence of genetics and biological processes in the brain?
- In terms of genetics, what can increase an individual's risk for developing schizophrenia?
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