Answer the following questions applying what you have learned through course materials.Your answers to these kinds of questions demonstrate an ability to comprehend and apply ideas discussed in this...

1. Explain the concepts of natural selection and evolutionary psychology.
Natural selection is the main concept in the theory of evolution whereby there is differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. An organism undergoes random mutations in its genome due to interaction with its environment. Individuals with certain variants tend to survive and reproduce more than others, evolution occurs.
Evolutionary psychology is an approach to psychology that explains mental traits as a product of natural selection. Everything from memory, language and perception are mental traits evolved and created through the process of natural selection.
2. Explain the relationship among genes, chromosomes, and DNA. Indicate how these entities function in reproduction.
Genes are basically segments of the DNA containing codes for specific proteins functioning in particular types of cells. Chromosomes on the other hand are structures present within cells that contain an individual’s genes.
When cells reproduce or divide, they pass a copy of their DNA to each daughter cell. Hence daughter cells have the same characteristics as parent cells. Each species has its own number of chromosomes and this is uniform through each species. Humans are diploid with their chromosomes coming in pairs. Human beings inherit one set of chromosomes from each parent hence children have traits from both parents. So during reproduction genes from each parent is inherited by the offspring.
3. In your own words, what is a genotype and what is a phenotype? Explain how these concepts relate to the concepts of dominant and recessive genes.
Genotype (or genome) refers to a person’s unique combination of genes or genetic makeup. Genotype thus contains a complete set of instructions on an individual’s body functions.
Phenotype refers to the actual structure and functions of a person’s body. The phenotype is affected by a person’s environment as well along with other unknown factors (Plomin, 1989).
Dominant genes are ones that can overwrite over other genes of the same characteristics. The genes that are over written are called recessive genes.
4. Describe the methods used by behavior geneticists to study heredity’s influence on behavior.
Behaviour genetics is the study of how an organism is influenced by its...