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Chapter 3
Multiple Choice Questions
1. “DNA” refers to:
a. do not activate.
b. deoxyribonucleic acid.
c. double nucleus acetate.
d. dynamic new animation.
2. What is “phenotype”?
a. the subjective experience of one’s genome.
b. the heritable material.
c. the sum total of all genes.
d. the result of gene expression.
3. Genes are
a. the sequences of nucleotides within a strand of DNA
b. chemical units composed of a sugar-acetate group.
c. base compounds.
d. nucleotide bases.
4. “Pleiotropic” refers to:
a. a simple mapping between genes and proteins
b. one gene playing multiple roles at different developmental times.
c. the cellular machinery that influences the expression of genes.
d. an intert gene that activates during times of high energy output.
5. “Cross-fostering” studies show that
a. life-long expression of genes in individuals can be regulated by their early
environment.
b. life-long expression of genes in individuals is immune to early environmental
influence.
c. simple chemicals can modulate neural activity and development.
d. epigenetic pathways are more complex than previously thought.
6. Alleles are
a. proteins.
b. neurotransmitters.
c. the nuclei of the cells.
d. slightly different forms of the same gene
7. What is “epigenetics”?
a. a theory of cognitive development
b. the study of the path from genes to brain to behavior
c. information encoded in RNA (not DNA)
d. phenotype regulation
8. Different copies of the same gene are termed
a. heterozygous
b. heterogenic
c. homogenic
d. autozygous
9. The genetic contribution to individual differences comes from
a. GABA.
b. serotonin
c. alleles
d. dopamine.
10. What is a “microdeletion”?
a. A large missing piece of a chromosome
b. A small missing segment of genes on one chromosome
c. A small missing piece of one gene
d. A small missing piece of one allele.
11. What is a “knockout” mouse?
a. A laboratory mouse in which researchers have inactivated an existing gene by
replacing it or disrupting it with an artificial piece of DNA.
b. An laboratory mouse missing a gene implicated in a particular disorder
c. A laboratory mouse whose phenotype has been changed due to the loss of
specific gene
d. All of the above.
12. The FOXP2 gene:
a. is a gene implicated in learning to control rapid movement sequences.
b. is the gene that codes for grammar.
c. is the gene that codes for an inherited language impairment.
d. none of the above
13. Since genes are pleiotropic, developmental disorders of genetic origin will
inevitably be
a. rare.
b. systemic.
c. localized.
d. frequent.
14. The intermediary molecule that transfers the information from the DNA to protein
construction is
a. GABA.
b. fMRI.
c. mDNA.
d. RNA
15. Behavioral geneticists study
a. the details of change in children’s behavior.
b. group differences in behavior.
c. associations between individual differences in alleles and variations in
behavior.
d. group differences based on genetic variation.
16. The “Immediate Early” gene is
a. involved in human developmental disorders with identifiable genetic
abnormalities.
b. involved in rapid changes in the brain during development and adult learning.
c. involved in slow changes in the brain during development and adult learning.
d. none of the above.
17. “Transcription factors” refers to
a. genes that transcribe other parts of the DNA into the RNA that makes protein.
b. the amino acids that compose certain genes over evolutionary time.
c. a method for detailing change in microgenetics.
d. a family of pleiotropic genes.
18. The fact that individuals with William’s syndrome have symptoms as diverse and
varied as compromised spatial processing, heart defects, and unusual facial
features supports the idea
a. that we should be able to find direct mappings between gene and behavior.
b. that behavioral genetics is a field that will offer no useful information.
c. that there is no such thing as a genetic disorder
d. that we should not expect to find direct mappings between gene and behavior.
19. The four nucleotide bases are:
a. melatonin, histamine, glutamate, and aspartate.
b. serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine.
c. adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine
d. endorphin, dynorphin, corticotropin, and oxytocin.
20. What is “junk” DNA?
a. segments of DNA that do not appear to code for proteins
b. DNA that dies off over the course of development
c. DNA that does not code for anything and thus accounts for the fact that
humans only use 10% of their brain
d. none of the above.
Short Answer Questions
1. Briefly explain why Fragile-X syndrome has a more devastating effect on males
than on females.
2. What can be gained from a close investigation of indivdual cases of one
developmental disorder?
3. Briefly describe DNA.
4. Describe the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU).
5. Briefly define pleiotropy.
6. Describe and briefly discuss findings from cross-fostering studies.
7. What is a gene?
8. What are the four strategies dedicated to understanding the mapping from
genotype to behavioral phenotype.
9. Briefly describe the observed behaviors associated with a deficit in the FOXP2
gene.
10. What is “Behavioral Genetics”?
Essay Questions
1. In certain developmental disorders we can say that the “gene defect causes the
deficit.” Carefully explain what this does and does not mean about the
relationship between genes and behavior.
2. “Gene expression is a highly dynamic and context-sensitive phenomenon.”
Discuss.