Biological Psychology

James W. Kalat

Chapter 4

Genetics, Evolution, Development, and Plasticity - all with Video Answers

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Chapter Questions

Problem 1

Suppose you have high sensitivity to tasting PTC. If your mother can also taste it easily, what (if anything) can you predict about your father's ability to taste it?

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Problem 2

Suppose you have high sensitivity to the taste of PTC. If your mother has low sensitivity, what (if anything) can you predict about your father's taste sensitivity?

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Problem 3

Suppose someone identifies a "gene for" certain aspects of development. How might that statement be misleading?

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Problem 4

How does a sex-linked gene differ from a sex-limited gene?

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Problem 5

How does an epigenetic change differ from a mutation?

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Problem 6

How does adding a methyl or acetyl group to a histone protein alter gene activity?

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Problem 7

What are the main types of evidence to estimate the heritability of some behavior?

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Problem 8

Suppose someone determines the heritability of $1 Q$ scores for a given population. Then society changes in a way that provides the best possible opportunity for everyone within that population. Will heritability of IQ increase, decrease, or stay the same?

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Problem 9

What example illustrates the point that even if some characteristic is highly heritable, a change in the environment can alter it?

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Problem 10

Many people believe the human appendix is useless. Will it become smaller and smaller with each generation?

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Problem 11

What are plausible ways for possible altruistic genes to spread in a population?

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Problem 12

Which comes first: migration, synaptogenesis, or myelination?

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Problem 13

New receptor neurons form in which sensory system?

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Problem 14

What evidence indicates that new neurons form in the
human hippocampus and basal ganglia?

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Problem 15

What was Sperry's evidence that axons grow to a specific target instead of attaching at random?

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Problem 16

If axons from the retina were prevented from showing spontaneous activity during early development, what would be the probable effect on development of the thalamus?

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Problem 17

What process assures that the spinal cord has the right number of axons to innervate all the muscle cells?

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Problem 18

What class of chemicals prevents apoptosis in the sympathetic nervous system?

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Problem 19

At what age does a person have the greatest number of neuronsearly in life, during adolescence, or during adulthood?

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Problem 20

Anesthetic drugs and anxiety-reducing drugs increase activity of GABA, decreasing brain excitation. Why would we predict that exposure to these drugs might be dangerous to the brain of a fetus?

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Problem 21

In the ferret study, how did the experimenters determine that visual input to the auditory portions of the brain actually produced a visual sensation?

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Problem 22

An enriched environment promotes growth of axons and dendrites in laboratory rodents. What is known to be one important reason for this effect?

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Problem 23

Name two kinds of evidence indicating that touch information from the fingers activates the occipital cortex of people blind since birth.

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Problem 24

Which brain area shows expanded representation of the left hand in people who began practicing stringed instruments in childhood and continued for many years?

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Problem 25

What change in the brain is responsible for musician's cramp?

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Problem 26

Why is immaturity of the prefrontal cortex not a satisfactory explanation for risley behaviors in adolescents?

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Problem 27

What is one way in which older adults compensate for less efficient brain functioning?

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Problem 28

What are the two kinds of stroke, and what causes each kind?

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Problem 29

Why is tPA not helpful in cases of hemorrhage?

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Problem 30

After someone has had a stroke, would it be best (if possible) to direct stimulant drugs to the cells that were damaged or somewhere else?

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Problem 31

Is collateral sprouting a change in axons or dendritic receptors?

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Problem 32

Is denervation supersensitivity a change in axons or dendritic receptors?

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Problem 33

What is responsible for the phantom limb experience?

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Problem 34

A monkey that loses sensation from one arm stops using it, but a monkey that loses sensation from both arms does use them. Why?

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