Describe twin studies and adoption studies. Explain how each type of study contributes to our understanding of the genetic and environmental foundations of behavior.
What will be an ideal response?
Ans: Twin studies typically compare monozygotic and dizygotic twins to determine the genetic contribution of traits, such as intelligence and personality. Twins raised in the same environment that share some or all of their genetic material are a powerful participant group because when twins differ, it is easier to determine the source of the difference. Adoption studies are similar, except they assess twins that have been reared apart. This provides an opportunity to assess the influence of environmental factors on the development of various traits like personality, IQ, and possible pathology. A study of ~100 sets of twins reared apart demonstrated that 70% of the variance in IQ can be attributed to genetic factors.
Learning Objective: 3.5 Identify other types of research and considerations in studying psychopathology.
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Behavioral Genetics
Difficulty Level: Medium
You might also like to view...
The ability to hear the distinctive sounds of each letter in language is known as ________________ awareness
Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
The psychological effects of LSD are best described as
a. unknown. b. consistent and predictable. c. consistent, but unpredictable. d. variable, but predictable. e. variable and unpredictable.
In the context of classical conditioning, a learned reaction to a learned stimulus is known as a(n)__________
A) patellar reflex B) unconditioned response C) pupillary reflex D) conditioned response E) Select
Follow-up research on deferred imitation demonstrates that older infants and toddlers
A) are more likely to imitate accidental behaviors than purposeful behaviors. B) can imitate rationally, by inferring others' intentions. C) do not yet use intentional means–end action sequences. D) cannot yet imitate actions that an adult produces.