| adoption study | Study in which investigators seek to discover if children are more like their adoptive parents and/or siblings than their biological parents and/or siblings
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| behavior genetics | Field that seeks to discover the influence of heredity and environment on individual differences in human traits and development
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| embryonic period | Period of prenatal development that occurs 2 to 8 weeks after conception
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| epigenetic view | Emphasizes that development is the result of an ongoing, bidirectional interchange between heredity and environment
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| evolutionary psychology | Emphasizes the importance of adaptation, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest" in shaping behavior
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| fetal period | Prenatal period of development that, on average, begins 2 months after conception and lasts for seven months
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| germinal period | Period of prenatal development that takes place in the first 2 weeks after conception
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| teratogen | Any agent that causes a birth defect or negatively alters cognitive and behavioral outcomes
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| twin study | Study in which the behavioral similarities between identical twins are compared with the behavioral similarities between fraternal twins
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| zygote | Single cell formed through the fusion of an egg and a sperm in a process called fertilization
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