The Nature-Nurture Question

Which scientific field attempts to empirically study the influence of genetic makeup and upbringing on behavior by examining similarities among family members or differences in DNA?

What is the primary logic behind an adoption study in the context of nature-nurture research?

What is the key difference between monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins that makes them valuable for nature-nurture research?

What is the heritability coefficient intended to measure?

In what decade was the structure of DNA discovered by Watson and Crick, according to the historical timeline provided in the chapter?

According to the chapter, what is one of the most significant findings from nature-nurture studies regarding the heritability of traits?

The chapter gives an example of data showing children whose mothers read to them often have better reading scores. Why is it incorrect to conclude from this correlation that reading aloud causes better scores?

What is the heritability coefficient for the trait of having two arms, and what does this result illustrate?

What is the phenomenon called when genetic differences affect behavior under some environmental circumstances but not others?

In the study by Caspi et al. (2002), a particular allele of the MAOA gene was associated with a predisposition to violence and antisocial behavior only under what condition?

What is epigenetics, as described in the chapter?

The chapter uses phenylketonuria (PKU) as an example to illustrate what concept?

What has been the general finding of modern genetics regarding the search for specific genes for behavioral traits?

According to the chapter, why do our intuitions about nature and nurture often get more complicated the harder we think about them?

What is the primary reason that experiments like the dog breeding example (swapping puppies between aggressive and nonaggressive parents) cannot be conducted with humans?

Twin studies analyze nature-nurture by comparing the similarity of which two groups?

What does the chapter conclude about the 'nature-nurture' debate based on modern scientific understanding?

What is the approximate percentage of shared DNA between dizygotic (fraternal) twins?

Which psychological perspective, dominant in the mid-20th century, held that behavior could only be explained in terms of environmental factors?

What is a major conceptual problem with the heritability coefficient discussed in the chapter?

Which term refers to the broader class of methods for observing nature-nurture that includes studies of siblings, half-siblings, cousins, and twins?

What is the final message from the chapter regarding genetics and human behavior?

According to the chapter, why has a great deal of time been spent discussing the heritability of traits like intelligence or personality?

Which of the following is NOT a method of behavioral genetics mentioned in the chapter?

What does the heritability of traits like 'how much television people watch' or 'whether or not they get divorced' suggest?

The chapter states that the heritability of a trait is not simply a property of the trait itself, but a property of the trait in a particular context. What does this mean?

The chapter mentions that 'nothing has turned out to be absolutely heritable.' What does this imply?

What example does the chapter provide to show that even a trait firmly rooted in our nature, like height, is susceptible to environmental change?

What is the primary contribution of behavioral genetics that, according to the chapter, has 'changed psychology for good'?

The range of the heritability coefficient is between which two numbers?

According to the chapter, why is the nature-nurture question often referred to as a 'debate' while other great questions like the mind-body problem are not?

What is one reason the chapter gives for the continued fascination with the nature-nurture question in the modern era?

In the comparison of height and spoken language in twins, why are fraternal twins 'just as similar as identical twins' for spoken language when raised together?

What does the chapter mean when it says 'genes and environment are both crucial to every trait'?

The discovery of which of the following is NOT part of the historical timeline of genetics mentioned in the chapter?

What is the key problem in interpreting a finding that mothers who are avid readers have children who are also good readers?

The chapter describes an analogy of a symphony to explain the complexity of nature-nurture interactions. What is the point of this analogy?

Which of these is NOT one of the 'three related problems at the intersection of philosophy and science' mentioned at the start of the chapter?

Monozygotic twins are also known as what?

What did the chapter conclude about the consistency of which traits are 'more' or 'less' heritable?

The chapter mentions a historical, misguided attempt at 'the shaping of human characteristics through intentional breeding'. What is this practice called?

What is the key takeaway from the 'best predictors of an adopted child’s personality or mental health'?

Monozygotic twins result from what biological event?

What is the main limitation of the finding that the genetic impact on behavior is broken up over many genes with small effects?

The chapter states that Francis Galton, who first started thinking about nature-nurture in the late-19th century, was very influenced by whom?

In the final paragraph, the chapter suggests that our modern understanding of genetics means our ways of thinking about ourselves will have to undergo profound changes. Which concept does it use as an example?

If a trait has a heritability coefficient of 0.8, what does this mean?

Why does the author state that the outcomes of nature-nurture studies have 'fallen short of our expectations'?

In the thought experiment with aggressive Chihuahuas and nonaggressive Beagles, what would it mean if the Chihuahua parents raised beagle puppies that grew up to be aggressive?

What is the primary characteristic of dizygotic (DZ) twins?