Research Evidence Links Paternal Age to the Development of Schizophrenia

question 323

Multiple Choice

Research evidence links paternal age to the development of schizophrenia. What is the best explanation for why offspring of a father aged 45 or older might be at higher risk for developing schizophrenia?

• A) Older fathers are more psychologically unstable than younger fathers.
• B) Older fathers are more likely to die when their offspring are still children, and the trauma of losing a father during childhood can trigger schizophrenia in a vulnerable child.
• C) As sperm cells continually divide and reproduce over time, they can accumulate genetic mutations that can be passed on to offspring.
• D) By the time a male is 45 or older, his sperm cells have undergone the maximum number of cell divisions of 200 and are therefore more likely to have the maximum number of genetic mutations, which can be passed on to his offspring.

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Definitions:

Kant

Immanuel Kant was an 18th-century German philosopher who is a central figure in modern philosophy.

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Individuals or scholars who believe that the values and practices of a culture should be understood based on that culture's own context rather than judged against the criteria of another.

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Individuals who believe that moral judgments are based on personal feelings and opinions rather than objective facts.

Morality

A code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.