1 Discuss two biologically based approaches to how personality might be inherited genetics evolution Discuss how these approaches can be combined with each other and with other approaches 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 2 Attempts to explain how Examines how genes influence Controversy from associations with eugenics and cloning Modern research is 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 3 To examine how phenotypes may be attributed to variation in genotypes Phenotype Genotype Compare similarity in personality between people who are and are not related Monozygotic MZ vs dizygotic DZ twins Assumption 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 4 Heritability Coefficient h2 Based on the difference between the MZ and DZ correlations If MZ twins are no more similar to one another than are DZ twins then If MZ twins differ greatly from DZ twins Refers to variation in the population examined in a given study 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 1 Genes matter 2 Etiology of disorders 3 Insight into the effects of the environment on personality development 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 7 Does the family matter No or very little Yes Extreme conclusion Developmental psychology 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 8 If you have siblings was the family environment in which you grew up the same as or different from theirs If different do these variations account for differences in how you and your sibling turned out 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 9 Gene environment interactions There must be an environment in order for there to be behavior Genes are not Environments can 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 10 Researchers are working to find out Most likely there is not one to one association Obesity gene More likely that a trait is associated with many genes each having a small effect depending on other genes and the environment 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 11 Attempts to explain how patterns of behavior Identify common behavior patterns and then determine how the behavior was adaptive 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 12 Aggression and altruism Self esteem Sociometer theory Depression 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 13 Mate selection Buss 1989 37 samples representing over 10 000 individuals from 33 countries located on 6 continents and 5 islands 1 2 In all 37 samples In 36 samples 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 14 Mate selection some complications Women who are too thin cannot bear children Larger women Attraction is influenced Male physical attractiveness 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 15 Mating strategies Will you Go out with me tonight Women Men Women Men Go to bed with me tonight 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 16 Mating strategies Sociosexuality Jealousy 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 17 1 Methodology Backward speculation is difficult to test empirically 2 Reproductive instinct 3 Conservatism 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 18 4 Human flexibility 5 Gender differences are the result of social structure 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 19 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 20 Eagly and Wood 1999 reanalyzed data from a multinational study Found that in societies with greater gender equality 2013 W W Norton Company Inc When scientists learn that a particular brain structure or chemical is associated with a personality trait how is that knowledge valuable Does it help us understand the trait better Does it have practical implications 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 22 Genes affect behavior a directly by being able to control certain behaviors b because genes and behavior have a one to one correspondence c by influencing the propensities or tendencies toward certain behaviors d much more than does the environment 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 23 According to evolutionary personality psychology a one way to explain personality and behavior is to look at how behaviors might have been adaptive for our ancestors b personality is entirely determined by genetics c everyone should have the same personality and those who differ are maladaptive d evolutionary theory can only be used to explain a few human behaviors 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 24 One criticism of evolutionary personality theory is that it a attempts to explain only a narrow range of behavioral patterns b is too easy to find evidence against the theory c places too much emphasis on how social structure influences behavior d does not explain how people living now decide to behave 2013 W W Norton Company Inc 25