PSY E112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Human Nature, Evolutionary Psychology, Genetic Load
Document Summary
Same genes can be expressed very differently depending on interactions w/ environment. Heritability coefficient (h2): statistic used to measure heritability. Heritability: amount of variability in given trait in given pop. Trait inherited passed on through genes (can have high/low heritability) Investigations of genetics of behavioural disorders was guided by one gene, one disorder (ogod) hypothesis. Pedigree studies (looking at several generations of family history and disorders) and ogod have not been successful in area if major mental disorders. B/c many genes (of small effect) are involved (polygenic) Allelic association designs: identify genes of modest effect. Successful genes reproduce themselves (organism allows them to do this) Heritability estimates are function of environmental heterogeneity population studied not generalizable to other populations. Pop. with environment homogenous in both accounts, higher heritability vs. pop. with heterogeneous environment b/c higher selection in gene pool to draw from and higher genetic variance.
