HeredityandtheEnvironment.pptVIP

Heredity and the Environment Chapter 2 Biological characteristics interact with the human environment to yield the individual psychological characteristics that emerge from species and individual attributes: Species—Environment Fit: Evolutionary Processes Individual—Environment Fit: Biopsychosocial Processes Genotype: Genetic code for the individual Phenotype: Manifestation of the genotype Both can be impacted by the environment Toxins Disease Mutations Etc… Gene—Segment of DNA that synthesizes a particular protein; contains the key to any inherited characteristic Chromosome—Carrier of genes in a particular patter; 23 pairs; 22 pairs are linked to non-sex specific attributes 1 pair linked to sex-specific attributes Female—2 X chromosomes Male—1 X and 1 Y chromosome Diversity and Reproduction Zygote: following initial cell division of the fertilized egg Mitosis—Exact replication of 22 non-sex linked chromosomes (autosomes) Meiosis—When sex cells (egg sperm) replicate, genetic material is shuffled and each chromosome has 23 single stranded chromosomes; when sperm and egg unite, there is a unique pairing of chromosomes, thus genetic diversity is accomplished Exception to the rule: Monozygotic Twins Initial zygote divides with two identical replications All genetic material is the same Monozygotic twins have been objects of much research on heritability of human characteristics Dizygotic Twins Same process as siblings except for simultaneous pregnancy Dominant Recessive Genes Dominant genes—expressed in the presence of another Dominant or a Recessive gene Recessive genes—only expressed in the presence of another recessive gene Dominant-Recessive patterns determine the likelihood of a given characteristic being expressed Inherited Anomalies Dominant Gene Anomalies Huntington Disease (progressive neurological damage Progeria Disease (premature aging) Recessive Gene Anomalies Cycle cell anemia (defective hemoglobin) Cystic fibrosis (affects lungs, gastrointesti