Basic Human Emotions
Psychologist and author Paul Ekman discusses the seven emotions that are generally considered most basic and universal. Dr. Ekman adds that, "...each basic emotion has a theme that is universal, but the details of it are..
Bipolar Illness and Depression
Professor of psychiatry and author Kay Redfield Jamison talks about the confusion that sometimes occurs during attempts to diagnose or characterize psychiatric illnesses. "The evidence has been clear for a long time," Dr..
Bipolar Illness or Manic-Depressive Illness?
Professor of psychiatry and author Kay Redfield Jamison explains that "manic-depressive illness" is a more exact and descriptive term than "bipolar disorder." Dr. Jamison acknowledges, however, that some people prefer to..
Can Language Deprivation Be Made Up?
Linguist, author and university professor Noam Chomsky explores the question of what happens when a child is deprived of exposure to language. If such deprivation is part of a larger problem, such as lack of contact with..
Codes of Life: Evolutionary Psychology and Adaptation
Genetic predispositions help explain both our shared human nature as well as our individual differences. Evolutionary psychology takes a broader view, over a longer period of time, to determine the strategies that are ..
Codes of Life: Evolutionary Psychology and Sexual Attitudes
Although men and women differ in their attitudes toward casual sex, evolutionary psychologists point out the appeal of pairing to extend one's genetic lineage. What do men and women find attractive in the opposite sex?..
Codes of Life: Gene-Environment Interaction
Using twin and adoption studies, behavior geneticists can mathematically estimate the degree to which variation among individuals can be attributed to their differing genes. The concept is heritability, the extent to w..
Codes of Life: Genes-Our Biological Blueprint
Genes are DNA segments that provide the code for assembling protein molecules, the building blocks of human development. All of our abilities and behaviors have some genetic component. Whether or not the genes get tu..
Codes of Life: Molecular Geneticists Search for Specific Genes that Influence Behavior
Molecular geneticists are using DNA techniques to find the combination of genes, often hundreds in number, that indicate risk for a particular trait like reading disability. Although some critics feel such knowledge may ..
Codes of Life: Studies of Twins Separated at Birth
In recent years a group of scientists known as behavior geneticists have been probing the relative impact of genetic and environmental influences using twin studies and comparing adoptive and biological siblings with one..