Key Terms

amniocentesis - пункция, прокол

chorionic villus test – хорионический тест на генетические отклонения в развитии на ранней стадии беременности

DNA - ДНК (дезоксирибонуклеиновая кислота)

early intervention – раннее вмешательство

fraternal twins – двуяйцевые близнецы

gamete – половая клетка

gene pool - генофонд

identical twins - однояйцевые близнецы

impaired – ухудшенный, ослабленный, имеющий дефекты

Klinefelter syndrome - синдром Клайнфелтера (Рейфенштейна - Олбрайта) хромосомная болезнь мужчин

maternal blood test – материнский анализ крови

nonshared environmental influences – индивидуальные факты влияния окружающей среды

shared environmental influences – общие факты влияния окружающей среды

twin study – исследование близнецов

ultrasound sonography - ультразвуковая эхография

versed – опытный, сведущий

The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart investigates various aspects of the lives of identical twins and fraternal twins from all over the world.

Sociobiology is an evolutionary view that argues behavior is motivated by a desire to dominate the gene pool.

Human development begins with the genetic code we receive from our parents. The nucleus of each human cell contain 46 chromosomes, composed of DNA, that provide the blueprint for the development of an individual. Genes are the building blocks of chromosomes. Gametes are human reproductive cells.

Genes are transmitted from parents to offspring by gametes, the ovum or egg from the female and sperm from the male.

A number of genetic problems can occur. PKU syndrome, Down syndrome, sickle-cell anemia, several disorders including Klinefelter syndrome, etc. Genetic counseling provides information to couples about the risks of having a genetically defective child. Four procedures can be used to determine the presence of genetic defects: amniocentesis, ultrasound sonography, the chorionic villus test, and the maternal blood test.

Genetic transmission is a complex process. The genetic codes set broad limits on the range of possible outcomes, which are then affected by the environment.

The field of behavior genetics studies the nature and degree of the hereditary basis for behavior. Twin studies examine identical and fraternal twins for the degree of similarity. Adoption studies compare the adopted child with both the adoptive and biological parents.

Jensen argues that intelligence is primarily inherited and that environment and culture play minimal roles. Criticisms of Jensen's work include: (a) 10 tests measure only a narrow range of intelligence, and (b) investigations do not include environments that differ radically.

Behavior geneticists study the influences of both genes and environment on development, the heredity-environment interaction.

Three ways behavior geneticists believe that heredity and environment interact in this manner are passively, evocatively, and actively. Passive genotype-environment interactions occur when parents, who are genetically related to the child, provide a rearing environment for the child. Evocative genotype-environment interactions occur because a child's genotype elicits certain types of physical and social environments.

Active genotype-environment interactions occur when children seek out environment they find compatible and stimulating. The relative importance of these three forms of interaction changes as children develop.

Shared environmental experiences are children's common experiences, such as their parents' personalities and intellectual orientation, the family's social class, and the neighborhood in which they live. Nonshared environmental experiences refer to the child's own unique experiences both within a family and outside the family, that are not shared with another sibling. Robert Plomin argues nonshared environmental experiences produce different personalities for siblings.

Both genes and experience are necessary for development. The two factors are said to interact because the environmental effects depend on individual's genetic endowment.

The biological evolution of humans is quite slow relative to cultural evolution. Cultural evolution makes it possible for humans to shape the world to fit human needs.

Early intervention programs try to provide favorable outcomes early in the life of children who are judged at risk for impaired intelligence.

The authors review the influence of being adopted on people's lives and explore the relationship between being adopted and Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development.

Genetic counselors are typically physicians or biologists who are versed in medical genetics. Final decisions always depend on a couple’s ethical and religious beliefs.