Hereditary Influences on

Development
Chapter 3
 The Genetic Code
 Chromosomes
– Rodlike
– Store and transmit genetic information
– Matching pairs
– 46 chromosomes, 23 pairs…
 Comprised of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA
 Gametes/Sex Cells
 Sperm, ovum
 Contain only 23 chromosomes
 Formed through meiosis
 “Regular” body cells  mitosis
 Sex cells  meiosis
 Crossing over
 Multiple Offspring
 Identical/monozygotic twins
 Fraternal/dizygotic twins
 Patterns of Genetic Influence
 Phenotype
 Genotype
 Can have same phenotype but different
genotypes…why?
 How Are Genes Expressed?
 Simple dominant-recessive inheritance
– Each different form of a gene is called an
allele
– Alleles alike = homozygous
Alleles different = heterozygous
 How Are Genes Expressed?
 Dominant-recessive
 Examples of Dominant-Recessive Genes
Dominant Traits Recessive Traits
Eye color brown eyes grey, green, hazel, blue

Vision farsightedness normal vision

normal vision nearsightedness
normal vision night blindness
normal vision color blindness*

Hair dark hair blonde, light, red hair

non-red hair red hair
curly hair straight hair
full head of hair baldness*
widow’s peak normal hairline

*sex-linked characteristic
 Examples of Dominant-Recessive Genes
Dominant Traits Recessive Traits
Facial features dimples no dimples
unattached earlobes attached earlobes
freckles no freckles
broad lips thin lips

Appendages extra digits normal number

fused digits normal digits
short digits normal digits
fingers lack 1 joint normal joints
limb dwarfing normal proportion
clubbed thumb normal thumb
double-jointedness normal joints
 Examples of Dominant-Recessive Genes
Dominant Traits Recessive Traits
Other immunity to poison ivy susceptibility to poison ivy
normal pigmented skin albinism
normal blood clotting hemophilia*
normal hearing congenital deafness
normal hearing and speaking deaf mutism
normal – no PKU phenylketonuria (PKU)

*sex-linked characteristic
 How Are Genes Expressed?
 If heterozygous, can pass on a recessive
allele to children
– Carriers
 Phenylketonuria (PKU)
 How Are Genes Expressed?
 Sex-linked inheritance
 Codominance
 Polygenic inheritance
 Hereditary Disorders
 Chromosomal abnormalities
 Hereditary Disorders
 Autosomal abnormalities
– Most frequent is Down syndrome (trisomy 21)
– Mental retardation
– Distinctive physical features
 Mutations
 Detecting Hereditary Disorders
 Amniocentesis
 Chorionic villus sampling
 Ultrasound

 Know the procedures, advantages, and

disadvantages of each…
Genetic-Environmental Interactions
 Reaction range
Range of Reaction
 Canalization
 Heredity restricts development of some
characteristics
 Examples = babbling, motor development
 Behavioral Genetics
 The scientific study of how genotype
interacts with the environment to
determine behavioral attributes such as
intelligence, personality, and mental health
 Methods of studying hereditary influences
– Selective breeding
– Family studies
 Twin studies
 Adoption studies
 Behavioral Genetics
 Twin studies
– Identical/fraternal reared together
– Adoption studies
– Identical twins reared apart
 Calculate concordance rates
 Heritability coefficient
 Behavioral Genetics
 Heritability coefficient (H) = (r identical –
r fraternal) X 2
 Environmental influences
– Nonshared environmental influences (NSE)
 1 – r identical twins reared together
– Shared environment influences
 1 - (H + NSE)
 Behavioral Genetics
 Anxiety scale score
– Monozygotic twins: r = .78
– Dizygotic twins: r = .51
– Heritability:
 2(.78-.51)
 2(.27)
 .54
– Nonshared:
 1 - .78 = .22
– Shared:
 1 – (.54 + .22)
 1 - .76 = .24
 Behavioral Genetics
 Favorite color
– Monozygotic twins: r = .26
– Dizygotic twins: r = .23
– Heritability:
 2(.26-.23)
 2(.03)
 .06
– Nonshared:
 1 - .26 = .74
– Shared:
 1 – (.06 + .74)
 1 - .80 = .20
 Molecular Genetics
 To discover the precise locations of genes
that determine an individual’s
susceptibility to various diseases and other
aspects of health and well-being
 Genome = complete set of instructions for
making an organism
 Human Genome Project