Essay On Behavioral Genetics

555 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Behavioral genetic paper

The Use of Behavioral Genetics in the Justice System Introduction A complex and relatively new field of study, behavioral genetics is particularly interesting because is sheds light on the inner workings of a favorite subject: ourselves. Human behavioral genetics is broadly defined as the examination and characterization of genes as a basis for human behavior. The link between genetics and behavior was first recognized by Sir Francis Galton, a 19th century scientist and cousin of the very famous Charles Darwin, who studied the heritability of mental abilities of close relatives and family members (Stigler, 2010). Since then, genetics has been linked to many more behavioral phenotypes from eating and mating activities to substance abuse, social attitudes, violence and mental abilities. Geneticists are able to study this by analyzing parallels in physical and behavioral characteristics of families and populations (Rothstein, 2005). However, as with many other new scientific fields, the study of behavioral genetics and its implications has been the subject of increasing scrutiny and co...

Show More
Related

  • Metaphor, Sociobiology, and Nature vs. Nurture: The Biological Battle of the Century

    2342 Words  | 5 Pages

    Weighing in with a professor from Harvard, a chair of neurobiology from the Open University, and a chair of psychology from Northwestern University, the anti-sociobiologists defend the idea that genes and environment work together, much like a dance, in which the individual is taught social behavior. In an excerpt from their book, Not in Our Genes, theorists Richard Lewontin from Harvard, Steven Rose from the Open University, and Leon Kamin from Northeastern University propose, as the title suggests, that social behavior is not genetic. Rather, it is taught or influenced by an individual’s surrounding environment...

    Read More

  • Biological Trait Theory

    186 Words  | 1 Pages

    Biological Trait Theory has been found to have influences in neurophysiology, or the way the brain’s nervous system functions. When the part of the brain that controls fear, aggression, and social interactions, the amygdala, occurs in lower volumes, these traits will appear later in someone’s life. Other research cases have shown that psychopathic behaviors can occur when an individual’s amygdala functions at a lower efficiency or has certain deficits. One study, led by Yu Gao of the University of Pennsylvania, suggests that tendencies that may indict this event can occur before any crimes are committed. Another part of the brain, the anterior cingulate cortex, or the ACC, which plays an important role in controlling behavior and impulses,

    Read More

  • Behaviorism Essay

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behaviorism is a foundational theory in the world of psychology. However, behaviorism though it was a flourishing influential idea during the beginnings of psychology, it suffered a decline when other aspects of scientific research entered the psychology practice. Behaviorism was the scientific study of behavior. A plethora of great thinkers have made their marks with discoveries in behaviorism but B.F. Skinner was one of the most influential thinkers during the decline of behaviorism and the rise of experimental psychology.

    Read More

  • The Understanding of Behavior and the Brain

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    The trend of neurobiology and physiology predicting and causing behavioris not a new fact. So many illnesses and diseases are now attributed to biological mechanisms. A recent article in Newsweek comments on how those in the field of psychology and neuroscience are beginning to stress the fact that certain brain mechanisms account for mental illnesses and particular behaviors. Doctors seem to blame their patients peculiarities on a biologically based mental illness, rather then seeing them as individual responses to lifes circumstances (Begley 1998). It then becomes more common to prescribe drugs to alleviate the symptoms rather than understanding the behavior. Two recent developments have helped to strengthen the association of biology causing behavior. The first is the technology of brain imaging (MRI, CT, and PET scans) which search through the structures and the activity of the brain and find real physiological correlations with behaviors. The second is genetics. In recent years, researchers have found genes that seem to increase the risk of particular mental illnesses.

    Read More

  • Implications Of Crime And Crime

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anderson, W. R. (2001). Biological predisposition of aggressive & violent behavior. Futurics, 25(1), 72-76. Retrieved January 19, 2014, from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219838943?accountid=159007

    Read More

  • The Blank Slate Analysis

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behavioral genetics as he describes is the study of how genes affect behavior thus the definition alone claims that there is some innate feature that impacts how we act thus disproving tabla rasa. Pinker continues by describing the limited impact the environment has on behavior. The main example of the influence of genetics is that of identical twins. The data suggests that identical twins even when reared apart behave incredibly similar even more so than fraternal twins raised together. Another component of behavioral genetics is the heritability of things such ones’ temperament and ability to feel empathy, so once again it is not the environment that makes an individual a nice person necessarily. Each of these factors culminate in the three laws of behavioral genetics which detail the heritability of traits, the impact of genes versus families and the final 50% is a unique environment. The argument concludes in quite a controversial description that any study stating a correlation between family life and success is useless and that as long as there no extreme circumstances the family environment has no

    Read More

  • Biological Approach

    1518 Words  | 4 Pages

    The biological approach is a method that looks at our genetics to figure out a reason as to why one behaves in a particular way and why individuals develop abnormal behaviors. The biological theorists who study behavioral genetics study in what manner genetic influences effect behavior. Biological factors such as chromosomes have a substantial effect on humans and their behaviors. Most of what psychologists know about biological influences on personality is derived from twin studies. Twin studies examine and compare monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins. This is done because identical twins share the same DNA and are therefore predicted to share the same levels of specific traits. They are studied in cases where the twins are both reared together and separately to understand individual differences and similarities in personalities in these twins; in most cases even when the identical twins are reared apart they often are similar in regards to their career choices and personality characteristics. While fraternal twins share about fifty percent of the same DNA which is about the same amount as non-twin siblings. The outcome of fraternal twins is similar to the outcome of individuals not born as twins, meaning the pair of DZ twins will have different personality traits (Holzinger, 1929). This demonstrates that although MZ twins are reared apart they still share the same personality traits because they are heritable. The biological aspect of traits is explained through genetics. Biology is the influence for most of the complex and intricate phenomena that occur within a human being, the same can be applied to the personality of an individual. The Big Five is a list of the five core personality traits that all indivi...

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Nature Vs Nurture

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most well-known debates in psychology is nature versus nurture. Nature is pre-determined traits, influenced by biological factors and genetics. Physical characteristics such as height, hair color, and eye color is all determined by the genetics we inherit. Nurture is the influence of environmental factors. Nature and nurture affects the physical, emotional, and social development of a child.

    Read More

  • Behaviorism Essay

    1925 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the field of psychology many models have approached metal illness from different perspectives. Psychologists use models to depict or explain things that cannot be perceive. Psychologists use these models in order to explain, comprehend and treat mental illness. These models include the behavioral model, the psychodynamic model and the humanistic model. All of these models approach and explain mental illness from different perspectives.

    Read More

  • Behaviorism Essay

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behaviorism is a branch of psychology that has a theoretical approach that gives emphasis to the study of behavior in place of the subject of the mind or the physiological correlates of one's behavior. Behavior is the externally visible response to a stimulus of an animal or human (Weidman). B.F. Skinner is one of the most prominent psychologists of the study of behaviorism. Skinner was on the advance of behaviorism. B.F. Skinner created a group of theories that set out to prove that subjective impetus is not what behavior in humans and animals is so much based on but that behavior is more based on possible reward received and chastisement applied to the animal or human (Newsmakers). Skinner entered into the branch of behaviorism in the 1920s. Behaviorism was still a fairly new branch to psychology at this time. However, Skinner's experiments in his libratory were broadly consideration to be electrifying and ground-breaking, illuminating an knowledge of human behavior and logistics (Newsmakers). Skinner called such behavior based on possible reward received and chastisement that was followed by the repetition of that behavior operant.

    Read More

  • Biological Factors And Criminal Behavior

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are more contemporary biological theories that have since developed. However, most are still nearly impossible to prove true; for example, the genetic theory of crime in fraternal and identical twins. This study is supposed to provide evidence that those who are born with the same genetically heritable trait are more prone to crime than fraternal twins or siblings because of the ...

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture Essay

    2113 Words  | 5 Pages

    Height, hair color, eye color and sex are just a few examples of ways our DNA has shaped us. But could it be possible that our DNA also effects the way we behave in society. It is possible that genetics effect us is more ways that we may have imagined. Dr. Peter B. Neubaur believes that shyness, eating disorders, obsessive behavior and psychological illness can all be traced back to our genetics. Sexual orientation is also believed to be derived from genes in our body which determine what sexual preference we prefer. Violence and other types of crimes can be linked back throughout a person’s lineage to witness that other family members have been committed similar crimes without ever meeting one and other.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Behavior

    1952 Words  | 4 Pages

    Undoubtedly, the claim that all human behaviour can be explained by evolutionary psychology in some way is an ambitious one, but that is perhaps because evolutionary psychology attempts an ambitious goal: to unify not only psychological disciplines, but also the anthropological, sociological and biological. With this in mind, it is easier to see how the foregoing conclusion might be possible, probable even. At the very least, it is undeniable that evolutionary psychology provides a foundation with which to explore and interpret human behaviour even in spite of those subjects with which it says little about.

    Read More

  • Behaviorism Essay

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to the video entitled Behaviorism: A general overview of behaviorist learning theory, this approach to learning rejects the emphasis on the conscious and unconscious mind and focuses on the observable behavior of the subject. The principle of the behaviorism theory is that there is a direct association between a stimulus and the response an individual makes, the change in an individual’s behavior indicates that learning has occurred, and that individuals are not born with disposition to act in particular ways (Ormrod, 2012). In classrooms where the behavioral technique is used, there are often behavior modification and token reward systems in place (Campana, 2011).

    Read More

  • Behaviorism Essay

    658 Words  | 2 Pages

    Behaviorism is defined as a school of psychology that takes the objective evidence of behavior (as measured responses to stimuli) as the only concern of its research and the only basis of its theory without reference to conscious experience (Merriam-Webster). B.F skinner, Ivan Pavlov and John B. Watson are known as the fathers’ of behaviorism. They all had a different prospective on what makes someone learn, the one thing they had in common is reinforcement methods. Their experiments did have enough true findings to spark others to want to explore how behaviorism affects learning. Behaviorists often look at learning as a characteristic of conditioning and will promote a system of prizes and targets in education.

    Read More

More about Essay On Behavioral Genetics

Open Document