1. Article Questions Read the article and answer these questions.
1. What aspects of the article support nurture? (learned from the environment)
2. What aspects of the article support nature? (genetic)
3. Do you think gender is more nature or nurture? WHY?
4. List 3 things about yourself that you believe are influenced by nature and 3 that are influenced by nurture

2. Chapter 3: Nature and Nurture of Behavior

3. Agenda 1. Bell Ringer: Effects of Gender article
1a. Go over experiment from last class. (5)
2. Lecture: Genetics (20)
3. What do you look for in a partner? (10)
4. Twins Reunited Clip (12)
5. Gender Roles in Society (15)
6. Review Guide/Question Session (15)

4. Agenda Day 2, Chapter 3 1. Pass out Unit 4 information, Review Guide
2. Lecture: Environmental Influences
3. Handout 3-2 Evolutionary Psychology
4. Learning Gender Roles 3-9a/b
5. Sibling Discussion
6. 20/20 Report

5. Genes Chromosomes DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
threadlike structures made of DNA that contain the genes
Total of 46…23 from Mom, 23 from Dad.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes
has two strands-forming a “double helix”- held together by bonds between pairs of nucleotides

6. Genes Genes Small segments of your chromosomes Have about 30,000
a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

7. Genes
Nucleotides: biochemical letters that make up genes. Some 3 billion paired nucleotides define the genes that determine your individual biological development. Letters: A T C and G.
Sequence of nucleotides is what makes humans, human…pigs, pigs, etc.

8. Genome the complete instructions for making an organism
consisting of all the genetic material in its chromosomes

9. Positives and Negatives of Genetic Engineering?
Human Genome Project: goal is to map the human genome down to the nucleotide and identify all the genes present in it.

10. The Nature of Gender X Chromosome Y Chromosome
the sex chromosome found in both men and women
females have two; males have one
an X chromosome from each parent produces a female
Y Chromosome
the sex chromosome found only in men
when paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child

11. Nature of Gender Testosterone
the most important of the male sex hormones
both males and females have it
additional testosterone in males stimulates
growth of male sex organs in the fetus
development of male sex characteristics during puberty

12. Question Reflection: Positives and Negatives of Genetic Engineering?
1.  If it were possible, would you want to take a genetic test telling you which diseases you are likely to suffer from later in life?
2.  If you or your spouse were pregnant, would you want the unborn child tested for genetic defects?
3.  Do you think it should be legal for employers to use genetic tests in deciding whom to hire?

13. Evolutionary Psychology
Based on the ideas of Charles Darwin and natural selection: the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those contributing to survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
Mutations
random errors in gene replication that lead to a change in the sequence of nucleotides
the source of all genetic diversity

14. Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary Psychology: the study of the evolution of behavior using the principles of natural selection.
Believe that nature selects physical as well as behavioral traits that prepare humans to survive, reproduce, and send genes into the future.

15. Evolutionary Example
Evolutionary Psychologists believe we favor sweets and fats now since in the prehistoric era these were harder to come by and allowed ancestors to survive famine.
Problem today?

16. Gender and Evolutionary Psychology
Gender: in psychology, the characteristics, where biologically or socially influenced, by which people define male and female
Evolutionary Psychologists have found major gender differences in both attitudes and behaviors towards sex.

17. Gender Differences in Attitudes and Behaviors
Attitudes: Males tend to have a much more recreational approach to sex vs. women’s relational approach.
Behavior: Males are more likely to be promiscuous and aggressive towards sex than females.
Men tend to perceive a women’s friendliness as a sexual come-on

18. How would Evolutionary Psychologist Explain this Difference?
Women most often send their genes into the future by pairing wisely
Men by pairing widely

19. Mate Selection
Both men and women rated mutual attraction-love, dependable character, emotional stability, maturity and pleasing disposition as most important
Least important- chastity, similar religious backgrounds and similar political backgrounds
More Important to Males- good looks and chastity
More Important to Females- financial security and ambitious

20. Physical Attractiveness Exciting personality Good Health Adaptability
Preferred by Males
Kindness IQ
Physical Attractiveness
Exciting personality
Good Health
Adaptability
Creativity
Desire for Children
College Graduate
Good Heredity
Good Earning capacity
Good Housekeeper
Religious orientation
Preferred By Females
Kindness IQ
Exciting Personality
Good Health
Adaptability
Physical attractiveness
Creativity
Good earning capacity
College graduate
Desire for children
Good heredity
Good housekeeper
Religious orientation

21. Gender Roles in Society
What are gender roles?
How are they perpetuated in society today?
How have gender roles changed over the past 100 years?

22. Gender Differences and Attraction
Across the board men and women prefer youthful appearance.

23. Gender Differences and Attraction
Men tend to be especially drawn to “physical attractiveness.”
Women are especially attracted to males who seem mature, dominant, and affluent.

24. Gender Differences and Attraction
How would Evolutionary Psychologist explain this?
Men look for youth
b/c young women have more childbearing years and men just want to send their genes into the future
Men prefer women who’s waists are 1/3 narrower than their hips
a sign of future fertility

25. How would Evolutionary Psychologist Explain this?
Women prefer mature, dominant and affluent men b/c they are more able to protect and provide for the family
Men tend to be risk takers (or stupid) b/c they need to show their women “ look at me! I have so much strength and skill that I am fearless. I will survive no matter how much I drink or how fast I drive.”
Women spend more time on appearance and money
Men spend more time on status and dominance
Men are constantly trying to out do other men to compete for fertile women

26. Criticisms of Evolutionary Approach: Do you Buy It?
Men and women are a lot more similar
Want single, long term partners
Evolutionaries focus too much on nature

27. Behavior Genetics Behavior Genetics Environment
study of the power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Environment
every non-genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

28. Behavior Genetics and Use of Twin Studies
Identical Twins
develop from a single zygote (fertilized egg) that splits in two, creating two genetic replicas
Fraternal Twins
develop from separate zygotes
genetically no closer than brothers and sisters, but they share the fetal environment
Identical
twins
Fraternal
Same
sex only
Same or
opposite sex

29. How Have Psychologists Used Adoption Studies?
Genes Matter
Adopted children are more similar to their biological parents than their adoptive parents
Especially in personality
Parents do have an influence on values, manners , faith and politics

30. Behavior Genetics Temperament
a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
Difficult- irritable, intense and unpredictable
Easy- cheerful, relaxed and predictable
Hereditary

31. Behavior Genetics
Heritability: the proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes

32. Behavior Genetics Interaction
the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity)
Our genes affect how people react to and influence us
Molecular Genetics
the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes
Ex: Human Genome Project
Designer babies?

33. Influence of Environment Starts in the Womb
Prenatal Environment: first stage of nurture, when embryos and fetuses receive differing nutrition and varying levels of exposure to toxic agents.

34. Influence of Environment Starts in the Womb
Two placental arrangements in identical twins

35. More Environmental Influence
Experience affects brain development
Impoverished
environment
Rat brain
cell
Enriched

36. Experience and Brain Development
More stimulation= better brain development
Stimulation and touch can help premature babies
Language development in children before age 8
Don’t use it, you lose it

37. Peer Influence Peer influences may exceed parental influence
Parents can help shape schools, neighborhoods, etc.

38. Environmental Influences
Culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Norm
an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior
Personal Space
Expressions

39. Environmental Influences
Memes
self-replicating ideas, fashions, and innovation passed from person to person.

40. Nurture of Gender Gender Role
a set of expected behaviors for males and females
Gender Identity
one’s sense of being male or female

41. Nurture of Gender Social Learning Theory
theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
Gender Schema Theory
theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly

42. Nature or Nurture?
Percentage agreeing “The activities of married women are best confined to home and family”
Men
Women
1967 ‘71 ‘75 ‘79 ‘83 ‘87 ‘91 ‘95
Year 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Percentage

43. Evolutionary Psychology Questions
You are on a boat that overturns, It contains your five year old and 1 year old children (both the same sex). The boat sinks and you can only save one. Whom do you choose? 5 Year old 1 year old

44. That same boat contains your 40-year old child and your 20-year old child. Neither can swim, who do you save? 20-year old 40-year old

45. Would you rather marry someone older or younger than yourself
Would you rather marry someone older or younger than yourself? Older Younger

46. Of the following six, which three are the most important in the selection of your mate?
Good financial prospects
Good looks
A caring and responsible personality
Physical attractiveness
Ambition and industriousness
An exciting personality

47. You and your spouse are the proud parents of a new child
You and your spouse are the proud parents of a new child. The grandparents are ecstatic. Who do you think will be kinder to the child? Mother of the mother Mother of the father

48. Who will mourn more at the death of a child?
Father Mother
Father’s Parents Mother’s Parents
Younger Parents Older Parents

49. Which will elicit more grief?
Death of a Son Death of a Daughter
Death of an unhealthy child
Death of a healthy child