Individual Differences

Tuesday 12/6/05

Natural and Artificial Selection



Genes that influence the capacity to learn and the quality of memory are passed from parents to offspring. Individuals that live longer have, on average, more opportunities to mate and have more offspring.

Those traits that aid in survival or increase the likelihood of reproductive access/success tend to be propagated to a greater extent than do traits that do not assist in survival or reproduction. Selective breeding can mimic the process of natural selection without the environmental pressures of survival and reproductive access.

Tryon (1940) Selective Breeding of Rats



Rats were selectively bred based on their ability to learn complex mazes. After 18 generations, two groups emerged:


Maze-bright (MB) rats, which could learn to navigate complex mazes very quickly and accurately. Maze-dull (MD) rats, which could learn to navigate complex mazes, but much more slowly and less accurately.

Cooper & Zubek (1958)

Selective Breeding & Environment


Selectively bred rats to create a maze-bright (MB) group and a maze-dull (MD) group. All rats were reared in one of three environments:
1. 2. 3.

Restricted: in cages alone with no toys. Normal: in cages with other rats but no toys. Stimulating: in cages with other rats and lots of toys, exercise equipment, and other movable objects.

Cooper & Zubek (1958)

Selective Breeding & Environment


Results:


Restricted condition: poor learning in both MB and MD rats. Normal condition: same pattern as Tryon (1940)--MB rats learned better than MD rats. Stimulating condition: good learning in both MB and MD rats.

General conclusion from selective rat breeding studies:



Tryon (1940) demonstrated that genetics can influence specific learning abilities in rats. Expression of genetic differences in learning abilities can depend on the conditions of the rearing environment.

Twin Studies


Identical & fraternal same-sex twins are compared on many dimensions. Any differences between the groups in the strength of the relationships between the abilities of the siblings are attributable to genetic factors.

Identical twins demonstrate a higher correlation in recall ability than do fraternal same-sex twins, (Thompson et al., 1991; Finkel & McGue, 1993).

Age Differences in Learning & Memory



The very old and very young do not respond to classical conditioning as well as do those individuals in intermediate age groups.

Childhood Memory  Childhood amnesia: the inability to remember early childhood experiences.


Average age of earliest memory is 3.5 years (range: 2-7 years of age).

Childhood amnesia may be the result of:



 

Encoding & retrieval incompatibilities (lack of verbal skills during encoding) Lack of preexisting knowledge structure Insufficient working memory capacity

Aging and Memory  Cognitive abilities in general (including memory) tend to decline with age.  Some of the deficits in memory may be attributable to a discrepancy between learning and performance.

Learning Disabilities


Most learning disabilities (dyslexia, ADHD, etc.) affect only one stage, type, or function of memory.


Many common learning disabilities affect the encoding stage.

Pretty much done