Next session: studying heritability

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Reading
Preparation Qs

Cars kill many more people than spiders.

So why are phobias of spiders much
more common than phobias of cars?

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Evolution

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Evolution of phobia

Evolution of phobia

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Evolution of phobia

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Evolution of phobia

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Evolution of phobia

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Evolution of phobia

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Evolution of phobia

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Learn about
The role and influence
of genes in humans

Learn how to
Describe biological
structures
Distinguish between
biological and
psychological
concepts

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Today you will

Gene
Genetics
Heredity
Genotype
Phenotype
Dominant gene
Recessive gene

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How many can you define?

What are genes?

Genes are bits of DNA which make
proteins
An organisms genes convey
information about how to construct
that organism from one generation to
the next

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These proteins cause physiological

responses in the body

 Genetics is the study of how genes

influence physical and behavioural
characteristics
Heredity refers to the traits,
tendencies and characteristics
inherited from our parents/ancestors

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Genetics and heredity

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Whats the difference between

genotype and phenotype?

 Genotype: the whole set of genetic

information carried by the organism
Phenotype: the physical manifestation
of the genotype. Only some genes
carried in the genotype will be
expressed in the phenotype.

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Genotype vs Phenotype

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Why might a characteristic encoded

in the genotype not be expressed in
the phenotype?

 John and Alan are identical twins who

were separated at birth. Alan was
raised in a very impoverished
environment. John is substantially taller
than Alan.

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How does this example illustrate the

concepts of phenotype and
genotype?

Remember...

The environment influences gene

expression
Some genes are recessive and some are
dominant

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Just because its in the genotype that

doesnt necessarily mean itll be
expressed in the phenotype:

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Whats the difference between a

dominant and a recessive gene?

 Dominant genes are always expressed

Recessive genes are expressed only in
the absence of a dominant gene

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Genes are organised in

chromosomes, these come in pairs
you inherit one half of each pair from
each parent

Which genes are expressed?

Consider eye colour:
B = brown eyes (dominant)
b = blue eyes (recessive)

BB
Bb
bb

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So what colour eyes would a person have

with the following gene pairs?

Brown eyes

Blue eyes

Dark hair

Blond/red hair

Curly hair

Straight hair

Colour vision

Colour blindness

Normal sight

Night blindness

Normal blood

Haemophilia

Hearing

Congenital Deafness

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Dominant vs Recessive

 Doug and Amber both have blonde

hair. They have two children, Alex
and Sam. Alex has red hair while
Sams hair is dark brown.

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Explain why

Heritability

100 % down
to
environment

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The extent to which the variability found in a

characteristic or trait is hereditary is known
as the heritability coefficient (score from 0
Oto 1)
1
100 %
down to
genes

For example, eye colour is solely determined by

genes so has a heritability coefficient of 1. Height is
slightly influenced by environment and has a
heritability coefficient of 0.9

What about psychology?

Where would you place these traits?
O

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100 % down
to
environment

1
100 %
down to
genes

Memory, extraversion, academic achievement,

verbal reasoning, intelligence, spatial reasoning

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