PSYC 2130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Tabula Rasa, Twin, Trait Theory
28 Dec 2015
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*one question on calculating hereditability on the midterm; have to subtract one number from another and multiply by 2. Outline: methods in behaviour genetics: selective breeding, inbreeding, and analogous experiments with humans, heritability of personality traits, data on monozygotic versus dizygotic twins, shared versus unshared sources of variation, critical analysis. Today people trying to figure out the relative contribution of genetic factors to personality development, not whether or not personality is genetic. For a long time, psychology was isolated from biology besides for animal psychology sub discipline. People do not like the idea of personality being determined by genetics because it goes against western value of tabula rossa, in which everyone comes into world with a blank slate" and can achieve anything given the right circumstances. Behaviour genetics represents merger of biology and psychology. Examines individual differences and interested in the degree to which environment and genetics play a role in personality formation; environment just as important as genetic factors.
