what is the meaning of a biological trait?

Question

I am in a psychology class, I am only in the 9th grade, and I don't understand what a biological trait is. What are some examples, anything that will help me understand what it is.

Answer 1

Biological traits are things about a person that are the result of their genetic make-up, things that are "hard-wired" into the person. Biological traits normally pass from generation to generation, but don't have to. Speaking generally, your height, eye color, and shoe size are all biological traits.

In psychology, it's a lot more difficult to determine which aspects of personality are biological traits and which are the result of environmental pressures or the way the person developed as a child. Honestly, most aspects of personality are caused by a mix of several different factors.

One example of this confusion is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. For years, psychologists thought OCD was a developed disorder, and they treated it as if it were, with very poor results. Then, in the 1960's-70's, better medical tests allowed us to determine that OCD most often occurs because of an electrical malfunction of one specific part of the brain, making it a biological trait. Doctors began treating OCD with different medications and treatments, raising the success rate for treatment by leaps and bounds.

Hope this helped.

Answer 2

Trait Meaning

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
what is the meaning of a biological trait?
I am in a psychology class, I am only in the 9th grade, and I don't understand what a biological trait is. What are some examples, anything that will help me understand what it is.

Answer 4

Trait is another way of saying phenotype

The phenotype of an individual organism is either its total physical appearance and constitution or a specific manifestation of a trait, such as size, eye color, or behavior that varies between individuals
Phenotype is determined to some extent by genotype, or by the identity of the alleles that an individual carries at one or more positions on the chromosomes. Many phenotypes are determined by multiple genes and influenced by environmental factors. Thus, the identity of one or a few known alleles does not always enable prediction of the phenotype.

Nevertheless, because phenotypes are much easier to observe than genotypes (it doesn't take chemistry or sequencing to determine a person's eye color), classical genetics uses phenotypes to deduce the functions of genes. Breeding experiments can then check these inferences. In this way, early geneticists were able to trace inheritance patterns without any knowledge of molecular biology.

for the full article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenotypes

Answer 5

It's a physical, physiological or even a mental trait that you inherit from your birth parents. For example, have you had someone say to you, "Wow! you have your mother's eyes!" That's a physical trait.

A physiological trait would be if Heart Disease runs in your family. You MIGHT have that biological trait because you inherit it from your family.

A mental trait would be Schizophrenia. It's a mental disease that you could inherit from your own family--if they have it.

Answer 6

Biological trait, these are traits which you inherit from your parents. For example if your parents are both caucasians then you look like asian ( ah then thats another story ,,,kidding). Well these traits can be seen physically, your coloration, your stature. Or even can be demonstrated through your mental capability.

Answer 7

Biological trait=something you inherited from one or both of your parents. BIOLOGY. Example: blue eyes, green eyes, black hair, etc.

Answer 8

it's something you inherited