Question

mark the following statements as true or false.
genes are segments of dna passed from parents to children
true false
knowledge of developmental psychology helps mental health professionals better understand how mental illnesses develop
true false
genes only influence physical characteristics
true false

Explanation:

1. Genes are defined as functional segments of DNA that are inherited from parents to offspring, so this statement is true.
2. Developmental psychology examines how people grow and change across the lifespan, including psychological development; this knowledge helps mental health professionals trace how mental illnesses may emerge over time, so this statement is true.
3. Genes influence both physical characteristics (like eye color) and psychological traits (like risk for certain mental health conditions), so the claim that they only influence physical characteristics is false.

Answer:

1. Genes are segments of DNA passed from parents to children: True
2. Knowledge of developmental psychology helps mental health professionals better understand how mental illnesses develop: True
3. Genes only influence physical characteristics: False