Lecture 1 - Genes and Evolution
Psychology The scientific study of mind and brain to
explain behavior
Forer Effect The tendency of people to accept
vague/general information as true
Genes Meaningful sections of the DNA molecule +
govern the cell’s functioning by providing
instructions for making proteins
Gene Expression Whether a gene is turned ‘on’ or ‘off’, the
extent to which a gene is transcribed into a
sequence of amino acids (proteins)
Genotype An organism’s specific set of genes
Phenotype The overt traits and behaviors of an
organism, determined by genotype x
environment
Allele On specific variant of a gene
Polygenetic Inheritance A specific trait or behavior is determined by
the interaction between environment and
multiple gene pais
Genome An organism’s entire set of genes
Evolutionary Theory Charles Darwin; all modern organisms are
descended from a small set of shared
ancestors and have merged over time
Natural Selection Key mechanism of evolution, the
reproduction of organisms with different
phenotypes; specific traits will be better
represented in the next generation; survival
of genes, not survival of individuals
Three Conditions of Natural Selection 1. Variation among individuals of a
population
2. Individuals with a certain trait
survive and reproduce at higher
rates than others
3. The trait associated with this
advantage is passed on from
parents to offspring
Pseudogenes Inactive gene that does not produce a
protein; most likely produced a protein in
ancestors; contains mutation
Lecture 2 - The Brain and the Nervous System
Psychology The scientific study of mind and brain to
explain behavior
Forer Effect The tendency of people to accept
vague/general information as true
Genes Meaningful sections of the DNA molecule +
govern the cell’s functioning by providing
instructions for making proteins
Gene Expression Whether a gene is turned ‘on’ or ‘off’, the
extent to which a gene is transcribed into a
sequence of amino acids (proteins)
Genotype An organism’s specific set of genes
Phenotype The overt traits and behaviors of an
organism, determined by genotype x
environment
Allele On specific variant of a gene
Polygenetic Inheritance A specific trait or behavior is determined by
the interaction between environment and
multiple gene pais
Genome An organism’s entire set of genes
Evolutionary Theory Charles Darwin; all modern organisms are
descended from a small set of shared
ancestors and have merged over time
Natural Selection Key mechanism of evolution, the
reproduction of organisms with different
phenotypes; specific traits will be better
represented in the next generation; survival
of genes, not survival of individuals
Three Conditions of Natural Selection 1. Variation among individuals of a
population
2. Individuals with a certain trait
survive and reproduce at higher
rates than others
3. The trait associated with this
advantage is passed on from
parents to offspring
Pseudogenes Inactive gene that does not produce a
protein; most likely produced a protein in
ancestors; contains mutation
Lecture 2 - The Brain and the Nervous System
