Reading assignment 1 has two parts: 1. Read the two articles on twins (links in this ppt. on slide #4), and answer the corresponding questions (found in this ppt. on slides 5 & 6) 2. Watch the “War on the Weak” (link on slide 7) and answer the corresponding questions (also on slide 7) *Be sure to review all other ppt. slides in this ppt. for background information on Behavioral Genetics Assignment is due in class (paper copy) on Thursday, February 13 You can set up this assignment in a Q & A format: Copy and paste each question and type your answers below. Answers should be written in complete sentences and should be no less than a paragraph in length (at least 3-4 sentences). One sentence answers will probably lose points. Answers should also be written in your own words. Do not simply copy and paste things directly from the article. Also, avoid using direct quotes from the article. If you refer to something in the article in your answer, it will be cited in APA style. And, you will have a separate reference page entitled: References (Citation styles can be found on the CSU library website if you are unfamiliar with APA.)  You do NOT need to submit an assignment rubric with this assignment, but please consult the rubric when you are preparing the assignment.  Behavioral Genetics – the study of the degree to which psychological traits, such as sociability, aggression, and mental abilities are inherited (this is called heritability), and the study of the relationship between genetics and environment in determining individual differences of behavior ex. Eye color – Height – Weight - “IQ”  Haunted Eugenics -- The Pioneer Fund and The Bell Curve (Herrnstein & Murray, 1994) THE PIONEER FUND: THE NAZI CONNECTION Written By S.R. Shearer The Pioneer Fund was established as a charitable trust on February 27, 1937 in New York City. Harry H. Laughlin, Frederick Osborn and textile magnate Wickliffe Draper were the principle founders.[1] The Fund's stated purpose was to "improve the character of the American people" by encouraging the procreation of descendants of "white persons" and to provide aid in conducting research on "race betterment with special reference to the people of the United States."[2] The current president of the Pioneer Fund is a shadowy figure named Harry F. Weyher, a financier and corporate lawyer who eschews interviews and runs the Fund without pay or staff from his offices in New York; he is assisted in his work by four other "Trustees" - one of whom has been Tom Ellis, a close associate of Pat Robertson and Tim LaHaye in the Council on National Policy (CNP), the principle coordinating agency in bringing together various members of the religious right with the business right and the political right. All serve without pay and staff. The Pioneer Fund, still in existence today, has assets of about $5-million and gives away most of its $1-million in annual income to a dozen or more scholars from Northern Ireland to California who study IQ and genetics. The Pioneer Fund supported a significant portion of the research cited in the recent best-selling book on race and intelligence, The Bell Curve, by Richard J. Herrnstein, a Harvard University psychologist who died in September 1994, and Charles Murray, a political scientist at the American Enterprise Institute. All of the men connected to the establishment of the Fund were admirers of Adolf Hitler. They believed unequivocally in white superiority and held that it (i.e., white supremacy) derived from "the evolutionary process." They were motivated to establish the Fund by what they considered to be the overwhelming "success" of the Nazi eugenics policy[6] - a startling defamation, but one which is easily documented.  http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/jun/02/twi ns-identical-genes-different-health-study  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/similar- but-not-identical-study-reveals-more-about-twinsthan-about-education-9004120.html Article 1: “Why do Identical Twins..” 1. What has been discovered about the “sameness” of identical twins? (That is, are identical twins really the same? Please discuss.) 2. What is the significance of the above finding in relationship to the interaction of genes (nature) and the environment (nurture) That is, please explain in your own words the concept of epigenetics. *Make sure you refer back to question 1 in your answer to this question. 3. How can epigenetics explain variations in diseases between individuals? And, how does the epigenetic model explain why even identical twins may be affected differently in terms of physical diseases, mental health, etc.? 4. What have we learned about the number of genes involved in a given condition such as osteoporosis? And, what is the practical significance of this discovery in terms of understanding how genes affect behavior? That is, why is it important to remember the number of genes that are involved in a given behavior?  Article 2: “Similar but not Identical…” 1. What is one (1)problem, discussed in the article, with using heritability as a measurement of things like artistic ability, academic achievement, etc.? (*Note: frame /interpret answer in your own words; do not simply copy and paste what you think is the answer from the article, AND provide an original example of this problem. **You will also have to demonstrate your understanding of heritability in your answer.) 2. Why is it important to take an epigenetic viewpoint in understanding the origin and pathway of personal intelligence? Please provide one original example. 3. What are the implications of using genetic studies and heritability to inform educational practices? Please discuss one advantage (that is one productive use) and one disadvantage(or one potentially destructive or harmful use). *This one you will have to think about. This is also part of reading assignment 1Watch the War on the Weak (link below) (War on the Weak: Eugenics  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaH0Ws8RtSc and answer the following: 1. What were the social factors underlying the eugenics movement in the U.S.? *Make sure you discuss social, rather than biological factors. 2. How did the U.S. eugenics movement promote racial inequalities and prejudice in our society? 3. Were you aware that this was a relatively common practice in the US in the early decades of the 20th C? Briefly explain your answer. 4. How does the Pioneer Fund promote the behavioral genetics concept of eugenics? BONUS QUESTION (WORTH TWO Bonus points): What’s the take-home message from Herrnstein and Murray’s 1994 book The Bell Curve? Reading assignment 1 has two parts: 1. Read the two articles on twins (links in this ppt. on slide #5), and answer the corresponding questions (found in this ppt. on slides 6 & 7) 2. Watch the “War on the Weak” (link on slide 8) and answer the corresponding questions (also on slide 8) Assignment is due in class (paper copy) on Thursday February 13 You can set up this assignment in a Q & A format: Copy and paste each question and type your answers below. Answers should be written in complete sentences and should be no less than a paragraph in length (at least 3-4 sentences). One sentence answers will probably lose points. Answers should also be written in your own words. Do not simply copy and paste things directly from the article. Also, avoid using direct quotes from the article. If you refer to something in the article in your answer, it will be cited in APA style. And, you will have a separate reference page entitled: References (Citation styles can be found on the CSU library website if you are unfamiliar with APA.)  You do NOT need to submit an assignment rubric with this assignment, but please consult the rubric when you are preparing the assignment.
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