1. Nature vs. Nurture Behavior Genetics: Predicting Individual Differences

2. What makes us who we are? Is It the genes we are born with or the environment that we are brought up around –Psychologist continuously explore how & how much our individual heredity predisposes our differing personalities, preferences, & abilities. O r is it our life experiences & our current environment –Which is more important & has the biggest effect. »Genes & the rest of our body’s makeup »Culture and everything we experience from the womb till death

3. Behavior Genetics Studies our individual differences by comparing genetic & environment contributions to our various traits –Behavior geneticists often use two sets of studies to compare. Twin studies Adoption studies Identical vs. Fraternal births gave scientist the perfect subjects to solve this question.

4. Twin Studies Identical Twins Fraternal Twins –Are one set of twins behaviorally more similar than another –Studies have shown that identical are much more similar to each other in behavior –Genetic links were there conclusions Findings: -divorce rates -troubles at home -troubles at work -troubles elsewhere

5. Separated Twins Jim Lewis & Jim Springer twins separate @ birth –Adopted by blue collar families –U of Minnesota Study: tested identically on Intelligence Heart rate Personality Brain waves Voice recognition –German Twins separated @ birth share same qualities Critics & other studies contradict the findings but results have been repeated enough to prove something is there

6. Adoption Studies Are the adopted children more like their adoptive parents, who contribute a home environment Or are they like their biological parents, who contributed their genes Studies show that adoptive children traits bear more similarities to their biological parents than to their adoptive ones

7. Adoption Studies Cont. Why do children brought up in the same house have such different personalities –Leaving the impressions that environmental factors shared by children have no effect on personality Why then are children in same family so different & what does this mean for adoptive children? Adoptive Parents do have an influence on children’s –Attitude –Values –Manners –Faith –politics