Physics chapter 3 biological and behavioral changes that allow organisms to meet recurring environmental challenges to their survival, thereby increasing their reproductive ability The manner in which a particular behavior enhances an organism's chances of survival and reproduction in its natural environment A research method in behavior genetics in which adopted people are compared on some characteristic with both their biological and adoptive parents in an attempt to determine the strength of the characteristic's genetic component Alternate forms of a gene that produce different characteristics The scientific study of the role of genetic inheritance in behavior Evolved biological structures that receive input from the environment, process this information, and respond to it Tightly coiled strands of DNA and protein that contain the genes The likelihood that two people share a particular characteristic A gene that will produce a particular effect by overriding the influence of a recessive gene for the same characteristic Changes in gene expression that are independent of the DNA itself and are caused instead by environmental factors The tendency of a genetically influenced characteristic (e

1. Adaptations

Biological and behavioral changes that allow organisms to meet recurring environmental challenges to their survival, thereby increasing their reproductive ability

2. Adaptive Significance

The manner in which a particular behavior enhances an organism's chances of survival and reproduction in its natural environment

3. Adoption Study

A research method in behavior genetics in which adopted people are compared on some characteristic with both their biological and adoptive parents in an attempt to determine the strength of the characteristic's genetic component

4. Alleles

Alternate forms of a gene that produce different characteristics

5. Behavior Genetics

The scientific study of the role of genetic inheritance in behavior

6. Biologically Based Mechanisms

Evolved biological structures that receive input from the environment, process this information, and respond to it

7. Chromosome

Tightly coiled strands of DNA and protein that contain the genes

8. Concordance

The likelihood that two people share a particular characteristic

9. Dominant Gene

A gene that will produce a particular effect by overriding the influence of a recessive gene for the same characteristic

10. Epigenetics

Changes in gene expression that are independent of the DNA itself and are caused instead by environmental factors

11. Evocative Influence

The tendency of a genetically influenced characteristic (e.g., agreeableness) to evoke a particular response from others

12. Evoked Culture

The notion that cultures may themselves be the product of biological mechanisms that evolved to meet specific adaptation challenges

13. Evolution

A change over time in the frequency with which particular genes, and the characteristics they produce, occur within an inter-breeding population

14. Family Study

The study of people who are related to one another to determine whether degree of genetic similarity is related to similarity on a particular trait

15. Fixed Action Pattern

An unlearned response that is automatically triggered by a simple (releaser) stimulus

16. Genes

The biological units of heredity, located on the chromosomes

17. Genetic Determinism

The notion that genes produce invariant and unavoidable effects that cannot be altered

18. Genotype

The specific genetic makeup of the individual, which may or may not be expressed in the observable phenotype

19. Heritability Coefficient

A numerical estimate of the percentage of group variability in a particular characteristic that can be attributed to genetic factors

20. Knock-in Procedure

A genetic manipulation procedure in which the function of a gene is disabled so that the effects on behavior or physical functions can be studied

21. Knockout Procedure

A genetic manipulation in which a new gene is inserted into an organism so that its effect on behavior or physical functions can be studied

22. Mutations

Random errors occurring during gene replication that can result in a new phenotypic effect

23. Natural Selection

The evolutionary process through which characteristics that increase the likelihood of survival and reproduction are preserved in the gene pool and thereby become more common in a species over time

24. Phenotype

The observable characteristics produced by one's genetic endowment

25. Polygenic Transmission

A number of genes working together to create a particular phenotypic characteristic

26. Reaction Range

The genetically influenced limits within which environmental factors can exert their effects on an organism

27. Recessive Gene

A gene whose influence on the phenotypic expression of a characteristic is masked by a dominant gene

28. Sexual Strategies (Parental Investment) Theory

Maintains that sex differences in mating strategies and mating preferences reflect inherited biological predispositions that have been shaped in women and men over the course of evolution

29. Shared Environment

The environmental conditions shared by a family or other social group over a period of time

30. Social Structure Theory

Maintains that men and women behave differently, such as expressing different mate preferences, because society directs them into different social and economic roles

31. Strategic Pluralism

The notion that multiple - even contradictory—behavioral strategies (e.g. introversion and extraversion) might be adaptive in certain environments and would therefore be maintained through natural selection

32. Twin Study

A research method in behavior genetics in which identical and fraternal twins are compared on some characteristic; this method is particularly informative if the twins have been raised in different environments

33. Unshared Environment

The unique experiences of each individual within a family - as opposed to the common experiences of the whole family