Chapter 3: Forming a new life

• Ovulation is the rupture of a mature follicle in either ovary and expulsion of its ovum
• Spontaneous abortion is the natural expulsion from the uterus of an embryo that cannot survive outside the womb, also called miscarriage
• Canalization is the limitation on variance of expression of certain inherited characteristics
• Niche-picking refers to Jacob, an adolescent with a talent for music, who has a tendency to seek out musical friends, take music classes, and go to concerts
• Schizophrenia is characterized by loss of contact with reality, hallucinations and delusions, loss of coherent, logical thought, and inappropriate emotionality
• Genotype is the genetic makeup of a person, containing both expressed and unexpressed characteristics
• Concordant is the term describing the tendency of twins to share the same trait or disorder
• In the 3rd month of prenatal development, sex is determined
• Heterozygous is when a child receives two different alleles, resulting in partial expression of a trait
• The cephalocaudal principle states that the upper parts of the body develop before the lower parts of the trunk
• When Jacob, an adopted child since birth, takes an IQ test, his results would most probably be similar to his adoptive parents
• Meiosis is a process in the cell cycle that reduces the number of chromosomes into half
• Teratogen is an environmental agent, such as a virus, a drug, or radiation, that can interfere with normal prenatal development and cause developmental abnormalities
• Behavioral genetics is the quantitative study of relative hereditary and environmental influences on behavior
• Dizygotic twins are the result of two separate eggs being fertilized by two different sperms to form two unique individuals
• Dominant is the allele that is always expressed or shows up as a trait in that person
• Temperament is the characteristic disposition or style of approaching and reacting to situations
• Genetic Counseling is a clinical service that advises prospective parents of their probable risk of having children with hereditary defects
• Phenotype refers to the observable characteristics or physical traits of a person
• The proximodistal principle states that the parts of the body near the center develop before the extremities
• Gestation is the period of development between conception and birth
• Amniocentesis is a prenatal assessment technique wherein a sample of amniotic fluid is withdrawn under guidance of ultrasound and analyzed
• Stress refers to physical or psychological demands on a person or organism
• Epigenesis are mechanisms that turn genes on and off and determine functions of body cells
• Multifactorial transmission is the combination of genetic and environmental factors to produce a certain complex trait
• Polygenic Inheritance is a pattern of inheritance in which multiple genes at different sites on chromosomes affect a complex trait
• Karyotype is a chart where chromosomes from body tissues are analyzed and photographed, then enlarged and arranged according to size and structure
• Reaction Range is the potential variability, depending on environmental conditions, in the expression of a hereditary trait
• Genotype-environment interaction is the portion of phenotypic variation that results from the reactions of genetically different individuals to similar environmental conditions
• Non-shared environmental effects refer to the unique environment in which each child grows up, consisting of distinctive influences that affect one child differently than others
• Obesity is extreme overweight in relation to age, sex, height, and body type as defined by having a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile
• Ultrasound is a prenatal medical procedure using high-frequency sound waves to detect the outline of the fetus and its movements
• Thalidomide, a tranquilizer, was banned after causing stunted or missing limbs, severe facial deformities, and defective organs in some 12,000 babies
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a combination of mental, motor, and developmental abnormalities affecting the offspring of some women who drink heavily during pregnancy
• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a viral disease that undermines the effective functioning of the immune system
• Three ways how Genotype-Environment Correlation works:

  • Passive correlations
  • Reactive (or evocative) correlations
  • Active correlations
• Stages in Prenatal Development:

  • Germinal Stage
  • Embryonic Stage
  • Fetal Stage
• Three layers of embryonic disc:

  • Ectoderm
  • Endoderm
  • Mesoderm