Nature Vs. Nurture
Objectives:
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Describe the composition and physical location of genes.
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Discuss the impact of evolutionary history on genetically predisposed behavior tendencies.
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Identify gender differences in sexual behavior, and describe and evaluate evolutionary explanations for these differences.
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Describe how twin and adoption studies help us differentiate heredity and environmental influences on human traits.
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Discuss how differences in human temperament illustrate the effect of heredity on development.
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Discuss the potential promise and perils of molecular genetics.
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Explain why we should be cautious about attributing children’s success and failures to parental influence.
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Explain how twins may experience different prenatal environments, and describe the effect of experience on brain development.
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Describe how development is influenced by the individual’s peer group and culture.
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Explain how biological sex is determined and describe the role of sex hormones in biological development and gender differences.
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Discuss the importance of gender roles, and explain how social and cognitive factors contribute to gender identity and gender typing.
Key Vocabulary: chromosomes, DNA, genes, genome, natural selection, mutations, evolutionary psychology, gender, behavior genetics, environment, identical twins, fraternal twins, temperament, heritability, interaction, molecular genetics, culture, norm, personal space, x chromosome, y chromosome, testosterone, role, gender role, gender identity, gender-typing, social learning theory, gender schema theory.
