PSY 1101 Lecture 2: Class 1b

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1101
• Professor: Brenda Baird

Document Summary

Class 1b- agenda for today: behaviour genetics. Heritability: behaviour genetics, genes and chromosomes, twin and adoption studies, temperament and heredity, heritability, molecular genetics. Inside the nucleus of each of our cells is a complex molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid, or dna. This molecule is most easily pictured as a very tall ladder, the bottom of which is fixed to the ground and the top of which is twisted into a corkscrew shape. These complex molecules make up our chromosomes. Humans have 46 chromosomes: 23 came from the mother, and, 23 came from the father. Each chromosome is made up of many, many genes, which are small pieces of the dna molecules. Humans have a total of about 30,000 genes; in the aggregate, this is called the human genome. We know from basic genetics studies (e. g. , gregor mendel) that certain traits are heritable that is, they can be passed on from one generation to the next.