"Gene-Environment Interaction"

Questions pertaining to the "Gene-Environment Interaction", "Range of Reaction", and "Genetic Environmental
Correlation":

1. What is the nature vs. nurture debate? How are we as humans a product of both genetics/heredity (DNA)
   and our environment? Do you think one of these (genetics/heredity or environment) contributes more to our
   development than the other? If so, which one and why/how so?
2. Is your personality more like one of your parents than the other? If you have a sibling, is their personality like
   yours? In your family, how did these similarities and differences develop? What do you think influenced them?
3. Research reveals that identical twins (100% shared DNA) are more similar than fraternal twins (50% shared
   DNA) for the trait of aggressiveness, as well as for criminal behavior. Do these facts have implications for the
   courtroom? How so? If it can be shown that a violent criminal had violent parents, should it make a difference
   in culpability/accountability/responsibility or sentencing? Why or why not?
   Questions pertaining to Structures and Functions of the Brain and Nervous System:
4. If I could give you a drug or hook you up to a machine that could re-create and induce experiences such as
   falling in love, feeling pain, feeling hunger, feeling empathy, feeling motivated, etc. by altering brain chemistry
   and activity, would you want to try it? Would it really be the "same" organic experience -- and if not, why not?
5. Pick one area/region/structural feature of the brain (e.g. hippocampus, frontal lobe/prefrontal cortex, etc.,)
   and describe what it is involved in/its known functions as well as provide a real-world example OR pick a
   process that we engage in or are confronted with (e.g., falling in love, social isolation, flight vs. fight vs. freeze,
   split-brain, etc.,), and explain how our biology and chemistry (e.g. brains, nervous system, genes/DNA,
   hormones, neurotransmitters, etc.) play a role and shape/influence our experiences of that particular process.
   Questions pertaining to Traumatic-Brain Injury (TBI) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE):
6. Many prominent athletes have been diagnosed with CTE—which has triggered a global discussion about the
   science, ethics, and commercialization of football and other high contact sports. This is also an issue we are
   seeing among military servicemembers. What are your thoughts on this topic? What do you understand about
   TBI/CTE? How might TBI/CTE (from a neurobiological perspective) be linked to changes in emotion, cognition,
   and/or behavior?