Your conscious awareness of your own name and self-identity depends primarily on the normal functioning of your: Cerebellum Amygdala Hypothalamus Sympathetic Nervous System Cerebral Cortex

2. The most extensive regions of the cerebral cortex, which enable learning and memory, are the: Reticular Formation Medulla Sensory Areas Cerebellum Association Areas Association Areas: On Cerebral Cortex Not Directly involved in Conscious Thought, Sensory Functions, or Motor Functions Combine Elements from various regions of the cortex & rest of the brain Enables Learning & Memory (Recognizing faces, Navigating your neighborhood, anticipating punishment)

A random error in gene replication is known as a: Gender Schema Genome Mutation Natural Selection Heritability

Less physically attractive More sexually experienced Younger Evolutionary psychologists would be most likely to predict that men will marry women who are _________than they are. Less wealthy Less physically attractive More sexually experienced Younger Mating Preferences: Men: (Spreading your seed Successfully) Young (Peak Fertility) Hips wider than waists Infatuation wains after 3-5 years Women: (Long-Term) Much Pickier: 9 Mos of Pregnancy Maturity, Dominance Ability to support & protect offspring Science of Sex Appeal

Genetics

Mechanics of it… Chromosomes: Threadlike structures containing DNA 46 Total (23 pairs: 1 from each parent) Found in every Cell Nucleus Genes: Units of DNA that make up Chromosomes Control production of proteins 30,000 in your body Either Active (Expressed) or Inactive 96% genetic similarity to Chimps! Chromsome map

Determined by 23rd Pair of Chromosomes Men: XY Women: XX Sex Chromosomes Determined by 23rd Pair of Chromosomes Men: XY Women: XX Turner’s Syndrome (Single X): Physical abnormalities (Shortness, Webbed necks, etc.). Klinefelter’s Syndrome (Extra X): Extreme Introversion & Sexual dysfunction. Fragile X: Most common form of inherited mental Disability & Autism in boys.

We live in a patriarchal world…

Brain differences between boys and girls Boys brains are bathed in Testosterone in womb Males Females Brains are 10% Larger (More Gray Matter: Slower Processing) Inferior-Parietal Lobe bigger in boys (Numbers: Better at Math?) Larger Parietal Cortex (Stronger Spatial Capacity) Brains are Smaller (More dense white matter: Faster Processing) 2. Language Processing areas larger (Learn to speak ≈ 1 Yr. before boys) 3. Thicker Corpus Callosum (Language Processing on both sides) 4. Larger Frontal Lobes (Better Decision making skills & Emotional Regulation) 5. Larger Limbic System (Better at picking up Emotional Cues) 6. Produce Less Serotonin (Much higher rates of depression)

Genotype – Inherited Instructions within genetic code Genes and Inheritance Genotype – Inherited Instructions within genetic code Phenotype – An organism’s Actual characteristics Genetic Predispositions can be activated/Kept turned off by the Environment!

Study of the relationship between nature/nurture Behavior-Genetics Twin Studies Monozygotic (100%) 1 egg, 1 sperm Vs. Fraternal (50%) 2 eggs, 2 sperm Nature Nurture Intelligence Personality Emotional Stability Shyness Happiness Divorce (5.5x vs. 1.6x) Disorders Autism (96% vs. 24%) Schizophrenia Addiction +.88 vs. +.69 Together Apart Nature Nurture Personality Intelligence Values Political Beliefs Religious Beliefs Adoption Studies Bio.=Nature Adopt.=Nurture

Evolution Evolution – The gradual process of biological change that occurs in a species as it adapts to its environment Evolution has fundamentally shaped psychological processes because it favors genetic variations that produce adaptive behavior

Evolution and Natural Selection Mutations – Genetic variations, which occur randomly, especially during the recombination of chromosomes in sexual reproduction Natural selection – The driving force behind evolution, by which the environment “selects” the fittest organisms

How Natural Selection Works Environmental pressure (changes in the environment) Competition (for resources) Selection of fittest phenotype (from among a variety of phenotypes) Reproductive success (genotype corresponding to fittest phenotypes passed to next generation) Frequency of that genotype increases (in next generation)

Evolutionary Psychology We are predisposed to behave in ways that promoted our ancestors’ surviving & reproducing, but that might not help us now. Humans are more likely to be afraid of spiders, snakes, & heights than guns & electricity Finding the scent of relatives to be “unsexy” Enjoying the taste of sweets and fats (used to allow us to overcome famine)

Football & The Brain This is Your Brain on Football