Read the summary and the most important questions on Intro to Psychology

• Topic 1

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• What do psychologists do and why are humans intuitive psychologists?

  Psychologists' career involves understanding mental life or predicting behavior. Humans are seen as intuitive psychologists because we try to understand and predict others' behavior. (ex. relationship partners.)

• What produces mental activity?

  Biological activity in the brain

• What is amiable skepticism?

  An amiable skeptic remains open to new ideas but is wary of new "scientific findings" when good evidence and sound reasoning do not seem to support them. They develop the habit of carefully weighing the facts when deciding what to believe

• What is gene expression and how is it influenced by the environment?

  Gene expression is whether a gene is turned "on" or "off". This can be influenced by the environment because it can for example influence our thoughts, feelings and behavior.

• What is a genome?

  A genome is the master blueprint that provides detailed instructions for everything (ex. where the nose is placed on a face). It provides the options and the environment determines which option is taken.

• What are chromosomes and where can you find them?

  Chromosomes are structures within the cell body that are made up of dNA, segments of which comprise individual genes.

• What is the Human Genome Project?

  The first step of the HGP was to map the entire sequence of DNA. Researches set out to identify the precise order of molecules that make up each of the thousands of genes on each of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes.

• What are the differences between a dominant gene and a recessive gene?

  A dominant gene is expressed in the offspring whenever it's present. While a recessive gene is only expressed in the offspring when it's matched with a similar gene from the other parent.

• What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?

  Genotype is the genetic constitution of an organism, determined at the moment of conception. While phenotype are the observable characteristics, which result from both genetic and environmental influences.

• What is the difference between hereditary and heritability?

  Hereditary is the transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring through genes. While heritability is a statistical estimate of the extent to which variation in a trait within a population is due to genetics.