NATURE AND NURTURE

Chapter 4

NATURE AND NURTURE

How did Stephanie Germanotta become Lady Gaga? Was she born this way?

NATURE AND NURTURE

Behavior Geneticists study our differences and weigh the relative effects of heredity and environment.

GENES: OUR CODES FOR LIFE

Chromosomes and Genes
The basic structural unit of all life is the cell, and within each cell are chromosomes that contain our genes. The nucleus of every cell in the body contains chromosomes, long threadlike m o l e c u l e s m a d e u p o f t wo t w i s te d strands of DNA. DNA carries all the biochemical instructions involved in the formation and functioning of an organism. These instructions are packaged in genes sections of chromosomes that are the basic unit of heredity in all living things. Genes code for proteins, which become the building blocks of cells or help to regulate a cells functioning.

GENES: OUR CODES FOR LIFE

The Human Genome
The genome contains the complete set of instructions for making an organism, containing all the genes in that organism. Humans have 46 chromosomes in the nucleus of each cell (except for the gametes, which have 23). These 46 chromosomes are actually 23 pairs, one from the father and one from the mother, 22 being nonsex chromosomes and 1 being the sex chromosomes. The 22 non-sex chromosome pairs are roughly the same size and shape and carry corresponding genes. The 1 pair of sex-chromosomes are identical in females (two x chromosomes) but dier in males (one x chromosome and one y chromosome). All female eggs have one x chromosome whereas male sperm either have an x or a y chromosome; hence, males determine sex of baby!

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
How do behavior geneticists tease apart genetic and environmental inuences on development?
Behavior geneticists use twin and adoption studies to look at the relative contributions of our genes and the environment to various human characteristics.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Twin Studies 1. Identical vs. Fraternal Twins Identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two. They are genetically identical, sharing 100% of their genes. Fraternal twins develop from separate fertilized eggs and, like regular siblings, share only 50% of their genes.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Twin Studies 1. Identical vs. Fraternal Twins By measuring pairs of identical and fraternal twins reared in the same environment (so holding environmental inuences constant), you can look at how genes inuence some characteristic. Identical (monozygotic) Twins
Same Rearing Environment

Fraternal (dizygotic) Twins

Same Rearing Environment

How similar are the twin pairs on some personality characteristic?

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Twin Studies 1. Identical vs. Fraternal Twins By measuring pairs of identical and fraternal twins reared in the same environment (so holding environmental inuences constant), you can look at how genes inuence some characteristic. Identical (monozygotic) Twins
Same Rearing Environment

Fraternal (dizygotic) Twins

Same Rearing Environment

r = .86

>

r = .60

Given same rearing conditions (same environmental inuences), the higher correlation for identical twins over fraternal twins reects genetic inuences.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Twin Studies 1. Identical vs. Fraternal Twins By measuring pairs of identical and fraternal twins reared in the same environment (so holding environmental inuences constant), you can look at how genes inuence some characteristic. So what have we learned from these studies?
The personalities of identical twins are much more similar than fraternal twins. Studies of thousands of twin pairs in Sweden, Finland, and Australia, for example, nd that on both extraversion (outgoingness) and neuroticism (emotional instability), identical twins are much more similar than fraternal twins.

And what does this tell us?

This tells us that our personalities are shaped to some extent by our genes.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Twin Studies 2. Identical vs. Identical Twins By measuring pairs of identical twins reared in the same environment and pairs of identical twins reared in different environments, you can look at how the environment inuences some characteristic. Identical (monozygotic) Twins
Same Rearing Environment

Identical (monozygotic) Twins

Different Rearing Environment

Again, how similar are the twin pairs on some personality characteristic?

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Twin Studies 2. Identical vs. Identical Twins By measuring pairs of identical twins reared in the same environment and pairs of identical twins reared in different environments, you can look at how the environment inuences some characteristic. Identical (monozygotic) Twins
Same Rearing Environment

Identical (monozygotic) Twins

Different Rearing Environment

r=

.86

>

.72

Given different rearing conditions (different environmental inuences), the different correlation for the two groups of identical twins reects environmental inuences.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Twin Studies 2. Identical vs. Identical Twins By measuring pairs of identical twins reared in the same environment and pairs of identical twins reared in different environments, you can look at how the environment inuences some characteristic. So what have we learned from these studies?
The personalities of identical twins reared apart are somewhat less similar than the personalities of identical twins reared together.

And what does this tell us?

This tells us that nonshared environment (experiences unique to each individual) increases the differences among individuals.

NATURE AND NURTURE

NATURE AND NURTURE

How exactly do different experiences make twins different?
As it turns out, these experiences (dierent diets, drugs, stressors, etc) can affect epigenetic molecules ( methyl molecules ) that alter gene expression.

Rats, licking and Stress Response Infant rats deprived of their mothers normal licking express relatively few glucocorticoid receptors (the genes are shut down by methyl molecules) and go on to deal with stress more poorly (because sympathetic arousal is not being turned o).

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/epigenetics/rats/

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Adoption Studies By measuring biological parent, adoptive parent, and adopted child, you can look at whether genes or the environment is a more important determinate of some characteristic. Biological Parents Adoptive Parents

Child

How similar is the child to the biological and adoptive parents on some personality characteristic?

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Adoption Studies By measuring biological parent, adoptive parent, and adopted child, you can look at whether genes or the environment is a more important determinate of some characteristic. Biological Parents Adoptive Parents

Child

r = .24

>

r = .01

The higher correlation for children with their biological parents than with their adoptive parents reects genetic inuences.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Adoption Studies By measuring biological parent, adoptive parent, and adopted child, you can look at whether genes or the environment is a more important determinate of some characteristic. So what have we learned from these studies?
The personalities of adopted children are much more similar to the personalities of their biological parents than to their adoptive parents. Also, two adopted children reared in the same home are no more likely t o share personality traits with each other than with the child down the block.

And what does this tell us?

This tells us our personalties are strongly shaped by our genes. This also tells us that shared environment (experiences shared by individuals) does not seem to make individuals more similar to one another.

The environment shared by a familys children has virtually no discernible impact on their personalities.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Gene and Environment Inuences
Adoption Studies By measuring biological parent, adoptive parent, and adopted child, you can look at whether genes or the environment is a more important determinate of some characteristic. Why doesnt shared environment make siblings more similar?
Some reasons include: 1) different parental treatment, 2) different peers, 3) different sibling interactions.

Does parenting matter then?

Studies suggest that peer inuence is an important kind of nonshared personality inuence. Perhaps because of the pressure to t in, children often conform to the norms and rules of their peer groups (kids with peers low in conscientiousness often become likewise). Parents, however, to some extent inuence who their children become friends with. Also, even if parents have little inuence over their childrens developing personalities, parents do inuence their childrens attitudes, values, manners, faith, and politics.

NATURE AND NURTURE

Temperament and Heredity
Temperament refers to a constitutionally based disposition to respond to the environment in certain ways. How is temperament measured?
Jerome Kagan has focused his research on two kinds of extreme temperament styles: inhibited and uninhibited.

Jerome kagan - Inhibited and Uninhibited Temperaments Inhibited - High Reactivity Uninhibited - Low Reactivity

Fearful Anxious Withdrawn Mild stress results in elevated heart rates, brain activity, and stress hormones

Bold Relaxed Outgoing Mild stress does not trigger elevated heart rates, brain activity, or stress hormones

NATURE AND NURTURE

Temperament and Heredity
Temperament refers to a constitutionally based disposition to respond to the environment in certain ways. How stable is temperament over time?
Temperament has been shown to exhibit remarkable stability. Children that are behaviorally (un)inhibited when infants are usually behaviorally (un)inhibited when older (though, it should be noted, not all inhibited children become inhibited adults)

NATURE AND NURTURE

Temperament and Heredity
Temperament refers to a constitutionally based disposition to respond to the environment in certain ways. How stable is temperament over time?
Temperament has been shown to exhibit remarkable stability. Children that are behaviorally (un)inhibited when infants are usually behaviorally (un)inhibited when older (though, it should be noted, not all inhibited children become inhibited adults)

GENETIC INFLUENCES ON PERSONALITY

This is not examinable. But if youre interested in understanding introversion (whether your own or that of others), a nice starting place:

Susan Cain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4 Website: http://www.thepowerontroverts.com

NATURE AND NURTURE

Genes and Environment Inuences
So what might we conclude from these genetic studies?
1. These genetic studies suggest, then, that our genes set the stage for our personalities, pushing us to develop one way over another (e.g., someone with a very reactive nervous system will likely end up quite introverted, but thats not to say they cant to some extent learn to become more relaxed in social gatherings). 2. Critically, however, the personality characteristics that are ultimately expressed very much depend on the interaction between a persons genetic makeup and their environment (e.g., epigenetic inuences; see next two slides for other illustrations).

NATURE AND NURTURE

Genetic - Environment Interaction: Phenylketonuria (PKU) Infants with PKU (cause by a recessive gene on chromosome 12 ) cannot metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine. Over time it will build up and may lead to mental retardation. If identied early, and the infant is placed on a strict diet free of phenylalanine, the infant will develop normally.
So the same genotype may develop very differently depending on how environmental factors interact with those genes.

GENETIC INFLUENCES ON PERSONALITY

Genetic - Environment Interaction: Abusive Parenting and Antisocial Behavior M AOA i s a s e x - l i n ke d g e n e ( f o u n d o n X chromosome ) that is known to inhibit brain chemicals associated with aggression. Looked at children that had a relatively inactive form of the gene and those with the normal form of the gene. Found 85% of those that were maltreated AND that possessed the relatively inactive form of MAOA developed some form of antisocial behavior, and they were 10 times more likely to be convicted of a violent crime (Caspi et al, 2002).
So simply having the relatively inactive form of the gene is not sufficient for the development of antisocial behavior; it also requires abusive parenting.

NATURE AND NURTURE

How did Stephanie Germanotta become Lady Gaga? Was she born this way?

NATURE AND NURTURE

How did Stephanie Germanotta become Lady Gaga? Was she born this way?
Stephanie Germanotta was born with a genotype that had the potential to express itself in a particular way, and she just happened to have those experiences (epigenetic inuences and gene-environment interactions) that led to that genotype expressing itself as Lady Gaga!

QUESTION #5
After genetic tests on your new baby boy, you are told that he may experience some developmental diculties. Inquiring further, you learn that there is some concern that as your child grows up he may be prone to antisocial behavior. Given this information, answer the following questions. What genetic anomaly (discussed in lecture) might suggest your child could become antisocial? Does this nding all but consign your child to a troubled social life? What can you do, if anything, to help your child to develop normally? Finally, comment on how this situation speaks to how nature and nurture interact to aect development. In answering this question be sure to draw an analogy between your situation and relevant research (i.e., just like some study found such and such, I would expect that if I too did such and such that I would observe the same outcome).

This question (as with all questions) is to be answered in a maximum of one page, double-spaced, using 12 point, Arial font.