BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Psychological Explanations at
the Level of Gene

CHAPTER 3
 Learning Objectives:
We will know what makes a person
different from another.
A basic principles of genetics in
psychological perspectives
Understanding on the role of genes
that affect the behavior.
 What makes people
different?
Different at the start of our life as a
single fertilized cell
The environmental effect throughout
the life cycle.

The interaction between heredity &

environment can have different effect
to the people.
 Principles of Genetics
Every cell from plant or animal contains a
nucleus which in turn contains strands of
hereditary material called chromosomes.

Human have 23 pairs of chromosomes in

each cell of the body.

At fertilization the 23 chromosomes in the

egg cell combine with the 23 in the sperm to
form a new person with 23 chromosomes.
The Transformation of
Genes
 Chromosome & Genes
Men X Y
Female XX

Genes are sections of chromosomes

which are in the nuclei of cells.
Homozygous &
Heterozygous
 Homozygous &
Heterozygous
The two genes of a pair may be the
same or different:

Same pair = Homozygous

Different pair = heterozygous

Certain genes are dominant because

they exert their effects on
development.
 Sex Linked
A particularly important category of
genetic linkage has to do with the X
and Y sex chromosomes. These not
only carry the genes that determine
male and female traits but also those
for some other characteristics as
well.
Genes that are carried by either sex
chromosome are said to be sex
linked.
 Sex Linked & Sex Limited
Genes
Some characteristics are more
common in men, others are more
common in womenWhy??

One pair of human chromosomes are

known as sex chromosomes because
they determine whether an individual
develop as a male or female !
 Sex Linked & Sex Limited
Genes
X-linked recessive inheritance is a mode of
inheritance in which a mutation in a gene
on the X chromosome causes the
phenotype to be expressed (1) in males
(who are necessarily homozygous for the
gene mutation because they have only one
X chromosome) and (2) in females who are
homozygous for the gene mutation (i.e.,
they have a copy of the gene mutation on
each of their two X chromosomes).
 X-linked inheritance means that the
gene causing the trait or the disorder
is located on the X chromosome.
Females have two X chromosomes,
while males have one X and one Y
chromosome
In humans, generally "men are
affected and women are carriers" for
two reasons because:
Number of X-chromosomes in a
population
women who express the mutation
must have two X chromosomes that
carry the trait and they necessarily
got one from their father
 Is there a gene for X?
Some diseases are caused by changes to a
single gene, such as cystic fibrosis and
Huntingtons disease. But many diseases are
not straightforward. For example, heart disease
and diabetes are likely to be affected by many
genes, and the environment may also play a
role. The relationship between genes and
behavior is even more complex. It is widely
agreed that genes do have some influence on
behavior but it is likely that many genes are
involved in influencing behaviors.
 Human Behavior and
Genetics
Do we inherit our behavior? Or does
it depend on our upbringing?

There is little doubt that genes do

have some influence on our
personality. But how much?
 What is behavioral
genetics?
Research in the field of behavioral
genetics aims to find out how genes
influence our behavior. Researchers
are trying to identify particular
genes, or groups of genes, that are
associated with behavioral traits, and
investigating the role of
environmental factors.
Does genes effect behavior?
In 1975, in the bestselling book
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,
Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson
argued that human traits such as
aggression, racism and gender bias
are controlled by our genes, the
product of evolution. His theories were
hailed by some as a breakthrough that
explained human nature, and
condemned by others for attributing
Genetics of Obesity
What do you think??
 How Heredity Interacts With The
Environment
All traits depend both on genetic and
environmental factors. Heredity and
environment interact to produce their
effects. This means that the way
genes act depends on the
environment in which they act. In the
same way, the effects of
environment depend on the genes
with which they work.
Cont.
For example, people vary in height.
Although height is highly heritable ,
environmental variables can have a
large impact. For example, Japanese-
Americans are on the average taller
and heavier than their second
cousins who grew up in Japan,
reflecting the effect of environmental
variables, especially dietary
differences.
The interaction of Interacts With
The Environment in Explaining
Disease Cause
 How Heredity Interacts With The
Environment
The explanation base on logical
theory of evolution by Charles
Darwin