Traits is neither a personality nor a behavior

Traits is neither a personality nor a behavior

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Psychology 335 Section 6380

Student: Modupe Olayinka Sarratt

Professor: Jack Kitaeff, Ph.D., J.D

Due Date October 07, 2012


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Contents

Abstract ………………………………………………………… 3

Introduction ………………………………………………………… 4

Objectives ………………………………………………………… 5

Method for determined trait ………………………………… 6

What is a trait? ……………………………………………… 7

Types of trait ………………………………………………… 8

Why behavior is not a trait …………………………………………… 10

What is the genetic for human traits? ………………………… 12

Conclusion ………………………………………………………… 14

References ………………………………………………………… 15


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Abstract

The psychology analogies that personality and behavior are genetic of a trait are

confusing. In addition, did not make sense. Because behavior is taught and learned for

acceptable action and personality is developed as a comfort pattern to respond in a situation. The

notion that personality and behavior are genetic code did not fit the characteristic of a trait as a

DNA. Moreover, the indication that personality and behavior are trait is prejudice for “one size

fits all” approach. (Funder p78) It would be prejudice to judge all black behavior and personality

are the same because of the characteristic of black pigment, the melanin for skin color. An

experiment with 100 plants to study genetics and heredity for trait by Gregor Mendel indicated

that trait is not a pattern and cannot be taught. The physical characteristics or human trait are

head, height, color, shape, and intelligent that correlate with the science of biology for brain,

skeleton, skin, tissue, and cognitive. The genetic code for trait is the characteristics of a DNA for

egg and sperm to form an individual; “you” a trait is either “dominant or recessive” according to

Gregor Mendel experiment. Trait is DNA. DNA is a coded gene. We do not inherit encoded gene

for how to behave; we were taught how to behave. (Mendel 2012) Human has about “25,000

coded genes in a DNA, and noncoding no genes in a DNA” according to Encyclopaedia

Britannica Human genome. The relationship between coding genes and noncoding no genes in a

DNA is not well understood. A trait is the inherited encoded gene of a DNA for “frontal lobe" or

“the six senses” for “abilities”. Behavior is an influence of a nongentic on a genetic code, and

personality is the change to maintain the influence. (Human genome 2010)


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Introduction

In biology, genes are the genetic characteristic that similar to DNA pass down by our

parent. Trait is the quality of intelligent and instincts, the six senses. Human either have it or not

is the characteristic of trait, “have” or “not” trait is not a connection of things, is not a pattern, or

a progression. Hearing or deaf is DNA, a genetic protein code to process and interpreting

information. “Ability” is a DNA protein for processing. A deaf person can still behave even

though he or she cannot process information. Why? Because behavior is not a trait, behavior is

not “ability”. Behavior is not a process. Also, a blind person can behave even though he or she

cannot see a thing to process a situation. Why? Because “ability” the DNA for sight, vision

processing in biology is not a behavior.

Likewise “intelligent,” is a trait, a DNA for “able to process information” that either a

person has or not that is dominant or recessive. A recessive intelligent is “autism”. An autism

person can behave, even though he or she is not “able” to process information. One discovery

about the “autism” is that autism is good with data, counting numbers because of vision.

Behavior can be taught and change. Trait is the ability of “intelligent” for comprehension or

“able” to understand. According to David C. Funder, “an IQ measure is only valid if it

really measures intelligence”. (Funder, p72) One could say that is not the case because an IQ test

could be neither reliable nor valid if one was to be measuring intelligence based on "knowing"

versus being “taught”, have the “ability” or not. The DNA of inheritance code for intelligent is

“has or not”, we can teach and change behavior but you have to have the ability to learn and

comprehend, which is human trait for “able brain”. The difference is having or not. In order to

learn behavior that is being taught you have to inherit the trait, genetic code, DNA for “able

brain”. A behavior is the non-genetic, the environment if there is a trait, genetic for “able” body.


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The assumption for personality trait theory is that there is a correlation between trait and

personality for the situation that cause behavior. This assumption is not correct for these three

reasons; (1) trait is not from external influence (2) Trait is innate for self-preservation. (3) Trait

has biological component for adaptation such as the peripheral nervous system (senses/PNS) and

center nervous system (intelligent/CNS). A trait is neither a personality nor a behavior because a

trait is the genetic DNA for frontal lobe to process information with the characteristics of a DNA

for has or not, dominant or recessive, the ability or no ability to process.

Objectives:

The objectives is to describe trait, compare it and decide it values,

1. Trait is the ability, our intelligent that we were born with that make us

different. A trait is a protein DNA for frontal lobe that allows us to process information

that enables us to stay alive. For example, if a person is born with birth defect for frontal

lobe, it may be difficult to stay alive. The characteristic for trait is either or neither, life or

death, dominant or recessive. Trait for thought processing is you either have “intelligent”

or you are “unintelligent”, “ability or no ability” normal or abnormal.

2. There is biological correlation between the physiology of the trait for

“intelligent” and the physiology of the “brain” for thought processing is in the frontal

lobe. The blueprint or the DNA for trait is the “ability” and “instinct or the six senses”

that correlate with the blueprint, the DNA for brain thought process, PNS, the peripheral

nervous system and CNS, central nervous systems. The value of trait for “intelligent” is

the similarity with how brain process information and value for the physical is the

“visible characteristic of an organism” known as the “Phenotypic”. Trait is the DNA that


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you either “have or not”. Trait for “intellectual” is ability inherited to process information

and preserves self from danger. (Encarta Dictionary 2012)

Method for determined Trait

Trait is the mixture of inherited genes from the parent that passes down through

generation. Gene is genetic code of human DNA, is the blueprint of what human are made of.

Individuality is the result of our genetic code interaction with different genes, such as animal,

bacteria, virus, and non-genetic, the environment. Trait is head, height, color, and shape.

A trait, “DNA” is passing down genetic code to offspring according to Gregor Mendel.

For the fact that ability is a trait for “intelligent or intellectual” has a biological component

“Intelligent” is genetic, is inborn” not something that can be learn. Gregor Mendel defined our

trait as “the instructions encoded in our genes” that correlate with “non-genetic, or

environmental“. This diagram by Gregor Mendel for plant trait experiment showed that trait is

genetic.

(Mendel 2012)

The psychology trait approach to personality did not address genetic. For example, the

ability to sense danger (worry/anxiety) and the ability to survive are the quality of intelligent.

The personality approach for thought pattern designed for response required a situation, the

ability to sense danger is not a pattern. Nevertheless, ability and instinct are intellectual trait.


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Behavior is not inherited trait; how we behave, depend on the situation and experience.

For example, if we never experience danger we would not know what behavior to choose

because the behavior depends on what type of danger and in what situation. The reason why

behavior or personality is not a trait from DNA, not protein inherited from our parent, and that is

why our behavior is different from our parent likewise our personality.

What is a trait?

Trait is a genetic code, a pair of protein known as DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid that an

offspring inherited from parent for “ability” to do things, such as, the ability to process and

interpret information. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica Article, “the human genome is

made up of approximately three billion base pairs of DNA that ‘includes the coding regions

which encode all the genes ‘about 25,000’ as well as noncoding regions of DNA, which do not

encode any gene.” Whether the noncoding regions that do not encode the gene are responsible

for behavior and personality is not yet imply. (Human genome2010)

(Human genome 2010)

Since there is no implication for the specific function for noncoding region of DNA and

the fact that noncoding region do not encode gene cannot be used to assume that behavior and

personality are trait because trait is genetic code of encoded genes for frontal lobe. In addition,

trait as genetic code does not change; a trait is either “dominant or recessive” which is different


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for behavior that changes with a situation or because of influence. A behavior can be taught to

influence the “ability” or the trait for processing information such as the “ability” for hearing and

speaking are trait, a DNA protein for “dominant” and “inability” to hear (deaf) and speak

(dumb) are trait, a DNA for “recessive”. Trait encoded gene for “able” or “unable” there is no in-

between. Nevertheless, a deaf or a dumb can still behave; he or she can imitate behavior, even

though he or she does not have the ability, the gene for thought process. Also, an imitation of

behavior can be a pattern for personality if the behavior is consistent for particular situation.

Each of us has a different trait. Trait is a combination of encoded protein DNA inherited from

our parent, a protein from genetic makeup of sperm and egg. (Mendel 2012).

Types of trait

Gregor Mendel study of “trait” maintain that trait is “heredity” with “physical traits

passed on from generation to generation”. Inheritable traits have a physical and a biological

component. Physical such as, height, color, shape is a trait “dictated by DNA”. In the study,

Mendel identifies three types of trait, the (1) “physical traits”, (2) “predisposition to medical

condition” and (3) “behavioral traits”.

(Mendel 2012)

Physical traits by Gregor Mendel “are characteristics of one’s physical makeup” by the

genes that determine our natural hair color. The natural color is dominant encoded protein DNA


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inherited from the parent. The physical physiologies correspond with biology. The human

physical feature head, height, color and shape correspond with brain, skeleton, skin and tissue

mass or muscle. (Mendel 2012) Predisposition to medical condition according to Mendel is “an

increased risk of getting a certain type of disease that can be passing down to an offspring”.

(Mendel 2012) For not able to fight certain disease, again the trait is “able” the DNA for

dominant or recessive, “able or not” is the characteristic of DNA, a genetic for trait. Diseases

inherited are due to “inability” a recessive gene to fight infection, such as white blood defect.

Again, the trait is “able” that fit the characteristic for encoded genes, a DNA for “have or not,

dominant or recessive, fight or flight”. A disease such as skin pigmentation or heart defect,

blood defect are due to recessive genes. Encyclopaedia Britannica emphasizes, “The genome is

essential for the survival of the human organism; without it no cell or tissue could live beyond a

short period of time.” “Ability” is the trait, a genetic encoded DNA in the cell or tissue. (Human

genome 2010).

Even though the biological processes seems to indicate some kind of relationship for trait,

"that affect behavior, but both behavior and the social environment also affect biological

processes. An understanding of each will be helpful for understanding the others. Their

relationship is associated with safety and self-preservation in the biological process for fight or

flight response. According Psycheducation.org online article, "One of these physical events

associated with fear is often called the "fight or flight" reaction: increased heart rate and force of

each beat ("pounding heart"); increased muscle tension that can even cause tremors; sweaty but

cold palms; and even nausea and diarrhea. Another aspect of fear is a physical "conditioning",

so that even a minor stimulus can bring on the whole fear reaction. The article illustrated fear

with behavior, "When you are afraid, you are likely to have:


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worried thoughts; and

physical sensations like a faster heart rate, sweating, increased breathing; and

behaviors, like trying to escape the situation that made you afraid in the first place”.

In animals, a “fear network” in the brain that is centered in the amygdala involves

interaction with the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex mediates these responses. The

brain is the trait not the behavior. (Psycheducation.org)

(Adelstein, et.al 2011)

Why Behavior is not a trait

Behavioral is not a traits because it is an act, human a taught how to act, we are not born

with action but we are born with the ability to learn or imitate. Human has the gene for “ability”

to imitate or learn. For the behavioral, Mendel used dog action as an example. The problem with

behavior is that a behavior is not“ability” but the “ways” for doing things, two ways for doing

things are imitation and learning. For example, a farmer does not pass down how to milk a cow

but the children are “able” to learn how. The “able” is the DNA, encoded gene not the “ways” of

doing things” behavior is the way of doing things in a situation that can be taught. Human are not

born with behavior for situation because there is no way of knowing a situation until you are in

the situation, and action for a situation cannot be predetermined without first experience.


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(Mendel 2012)

For behavioral trait, Gregor Mendel used the above diagram to indicated that, “people

breed retrievers to chase things and bring them back” (Mendel 2012) showed that behavior is not

genetic trait encoded DNA. Just because a dog is teachable to perform is not an indication that

the dog is borne with it. A trait is genetic. Also, because a dog can imitate action is not a genetic

for the dog is born that “way”, that way is not a genetic or trait for DNA. Behavior is an

influence of “ability” for a situation.

Furthermore, behavior can be program for how to respond to certain dangers without

using “intelligent” for thought processing, and without using instinct. Likewise, a personality

can be program for pattern on how to respond in a situation without thought processing and

interpretation. Such as, you can walk away in a fight. That does not require thought processing if

you know what fight look like from being taught or even an “autism” person can walk away

from a fight. In addition, our instinct is the genetic DNA for emergence respond; when in

danger, you either fight or flight. “Instincts” is a trait for recognizing danger, that correlate with

biology for fight or flight respond, and it is a trait because the blueprint characteristic for genetic

code, is either or neither, dominant or recessive. An abstract article on trait anxiety, fear and

emotionality by N. McNaughton suggested that there is distinction between the three elements of

arousal for behavior from a study of non-human:


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The perspective from non-human studies by N. McNaughton suggested there is a

distinction between anxiety and behavior, “Current clinical classifications, and many

psychologists, do not distinguish categorically between anxiety and fear. Likewise, the

normal language use and related terms suggests considerable overlap. However,

ethology, behavioural pharmacology and neural analysis all suggest that anxiety and fear

are fundamentally distinct at the functional and neural levels – while co-occurring and

interacting with each other in many situations” per se. (N. McNaughton 2010)

N. McNaughton studies suggested the possibility for “noncoding regions in DNA”. According

to Encyclopaedia Britannica, there are coded regions in DNA for “25,000 genes” and noncoding

region with “no genes” in DNA. The possibility that noncoding non-genes region is for emotion

or feeling are unknown. (Human genome 2010)

What is the genetic for human traits?

Gregor Mendel confirms that human traits are, “genetic origin of traits in diploid

organisms, the heritable unit, is a very long and compacted string of DNA and proteins, is the

centromere; the distance from a gene to the centromere is referred to as the gene's locus or map

location. The nucleus of a diploid cell contains two of each chromosome, with mostly identical

pairs of chromosomes having the same genes at the same loci. Different phenotypic traits are

caused by different forms of genes, or alleles, which arise by mutation in a single individual and

are passed on to successive generations” as illustrated with the diagram. (Mendel 2012)

(Mendel 2012)


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Human trait is inherited gene for “able” or intellectual. Trait is the encoded genetic of

human protein, a genetic DNA. Encyclopaedia Britannica describes human genetic trait as,

“Because the underlying DNA sequences are passed from parent to child in a stable manner,

these genetic variations provide a tool for distinguishing the members of one population from

those of the other. Public genetic ancestry projects, in which small samples of DNA can be

submitted and analyzed, have allowed individuals to trace the continental or even subcontinental

origins of their most ancient ancestors.s that correlates with non-genetic such as the environment

that did not allow the environment to change who we are. Human genetics traits for head, height,

color, and shape matched the biology for brain, skeleton, skin, and muscle. The implication that

our trait change by the environment to imply that trait is our personality or behavior is

inconclusive. Human traits are encoded enzymes of DNA for human appearance and ability.

Human trait is either dominant or recessive. Human trait is individual uniqueness

inherited from both parent. Trait is also our ability for self-preservation that enables us to adapt

and still maintain our genetic code. There is no set limitation to individual life span to stop brain

function; likewise, there is no limitation for breathing. Therefore, there is no set limitation to

human ability to process and interpret information. Behavior can be taught and manipulated,

likewise, the pattern of behavior for reaction, which is personality can also be taught and even

manipulated. Behavior and personality was the product of a situation. Trait is gene for “talent”

from our parent. Our parent does not pass down behavior, emotion or feeling, and trend. The

trends in the 1960 are the different from 21st century or today. Whether a noncoding region in

DNA is a source for emotion is not yet clear, either way, noncoding region in DNA is not

encoded gene, therefore, is not a trait that passes down from our parent. Today human are still

struggle to understand emotion because emotion is coincide with feeling. In psychology, emotion


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is simply defined as a “feeling” To feel or express emotion there involves internal and external

influence. Example, is feel hunger and able to eat is a complex mechanism that include “ability”

which is a trait. In addition, emotion has a connection to a situation. It is possible that feeling or

emotion is the interaction of encoded genes in coding regions in DNA with the non-gene in

noncoding regions in DNA. An abstract article, Emotions in human for artificial intelligence

computer generated by Juan Martinez-Miranda and Arantza Aldea indicated, “Emotion is part of

behavior”. The article further stated, “Research on the artificial generation of emotions has been

described, however, a lot of work needs to be done to develop an artificial system that simulates

the exact relation between emotions and human behavior”. (Martinez-Miranda & Aldea 2005)

Conclusion

What makes us unique is the encoded trait in DNA that our parent passes down to us. The

DNA is the genetic code for the “frontal lobe, the “brain” for “abilities” to stay alive. Known

yourself is known your “ability” that is your “genetic code” your DNA. You cannot know

yourself because of behavior or because someone give you an idea or by imitating someone. The

“ability” to process and interpret information was the encoded genetic code for known self.

Human has 25,000 coded genes in DNA’s that connected with noncoding non-genes DNA. The

coded genes is the “trait” for “ability” how noncoding interact with coded genes is not clear but

the assumption that “feeling” or “emotion” may be the result of interaction of coded DNA with

noncoding non genes is not yet understood. The model for trait is, “trait” is the nature, the

genetic makeup inherited for able body that cannot exist without the environment. Neither

behavior nor personality is a gene or a trait. Behavior is what we learn from exposure to the

environment, our behavior is the environment. Personality is what we have developed to adapt to

the environment because of the gene or the trait for "able" body.


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Reference

Adelstein, J. S., Shehzad, Z., Mennes, M., DeYoung, C. G., Xi-Nian, Z., Kelly, C., & ... Milham,

M. P. (2011). Personality Is Reflected in the Brain's Intrinsic Functional

Architecture.Plos ONE, 6(11), 1-12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027633 (Brain Diagram)

Encarta Dictionary: English (North America) Microsoft Office access 2012

Funder, David C. (2010) the Personality Puzzle 5th

Ed.

Human genome (2010) Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Deluxe Edition.

Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica.

Mart nez-Miranda, Juan & Aldea, Arantza (2005) Emotions in human and artificial

intelligence Original Research Article Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 21, Issue

2, March 2005, Pages 323-341,

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/science/article/pii/S074756320400024

Mendel Gregor, The Genetic Science Learning Center at The University of Utah 2012

http://www.goldiesroom.org/Note%20Packets/18%20Genetics/00%20Genetics--

WHOLE.htm

N., McNaughton.(n.d2010.). Trait anxiety, trait fear and emotionality: The perspective from non-

human studies. Personality And Individual Differences, 50(Special Issue on Anxiety

(dedicated to the memory of Professor Blazej Szymura), 898-906. doi:10.1016/j.. 07.011

Psycheducation.org, Neuroanatomical hypothesis of panic disorder, revised Psychiatry 2000

Apr; 157(4):493- 505 http://www.psycheducation.org/emotion/amygdala.htm

http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/science/article/pii/S074756320400024X

http://www.goldiesroom.org/Note%20Packets/18%20Genetics/00%20Genetics--WHOLE.htm

http://www.goldiesroom.org/Note%20Packets/18%20Genetics/00%20Genetics--WHOLE.htm

http://www.psycheducation.org/emotion/amygdala.htm

Traits is neither a personality nor a behavior

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