Wrestling with Behavioral Genetics brings together an interdisciplinary group of contributors -- geneticists, humanists, social scientists, lawyers, and journalists -- to discuss the ethical and social implications of behavioral genetics research. The essays give readers the necessary tools to critically analyze the findings of behavioral geneticists, explore competing interpretations of the ethical and social implications of those findings, and engage in a productive public conversation about them. "What sets this collection apart from others is the way that contributions from a diverse authorship are integrated to form a coherent whole... Doubtless this book will soon become a classic within behavioral genetics and compulsory reading for the non-specialist seeking to understand the basic scientific, social, and ethical issues within the field." -- American Journal of Bioethics "Informative, provocative, and challenging, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand this emerging field." -- Social Theory and Practice "Promoting public conversation about behavioral genetics will be increasingly pertinent to creating enlightened, fair, and representative public policy... The 'wrestling' will go on for some time to come." -- New England Journal of Medicine "This volume presents a fair and honest treatment of the field that is both cautious at times and also optimistic and hopeful." -- Metapsychology Erik Parens is a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center and a visiting professor in the Science, Technology, and Society Program at Sarah Lawrence College. Audrey R. Chapman is a professor of community medicine and Healey Chair in Medical Humanities and Bioethics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Nancy Press is a professor at the School of Nursing and the Department of Public Health at the School of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University.

Principles of Behavioral Genetics provides an introduction to the fascinating science that aims to understand how our genes determine what makes us tick. It presents a comprehensive overview of the relationship between genes, brain, and behavior. Introductory chapters give clear explanations of basic processes of the nervous system and fundamental principles of genetics of complex traits without excessive statistical jargon. Individual chapters describe the genetics of social interactions, olfaction and taste, memory and learning, circadian behavior, locomotion, sleep, and addiction, as well as the evolution of behavior. Whereas the focus is on genetics, neurobiological and ecological aspects are also included to provide intellectual breadth. The book uses examples that span the gamut from classical model organisms to non-model systems and human biology, and include both laboratory and field studies. Samples of historical information accentuate the text to provide the reader with an appreciation of the history of the field. This book will be a valuable resource for future generations of scientists who focus on the field of behavioral genetics. - Defines the emerging science of behavioral genetics - Engagingly written by two leading experts in behavioral genetics - Clear explanations of basic quantitative genetic, neurogenetic and genomic applications to the study of behavior - Numerous examples ranging from model organisms to non-model systems and humans - Concise overviews and summaries for each chapter

This book provides an overview of human and animal behavioral genetics and examines the crossroads where the fields of psychology, psychiatry, and genetics intersect.

Along with psychopathology, cognition has been one of the primary phenotypic focal points of the field of behavior genetics since its inception. Francis Galton’s 1874 examination of eminent families in Britain was among the earliest attempts to investigate whether cognitive achievements run in families. This volume presents current methodologies for understanding cognitive abilities that move beyond the outdated nature vs. nurture paradigm. Recent advances in both collection and statistical modeling of twin data, particularly longitudinal twin data, make this an especially advantageous moment to produce a work that presents a collection of the groundbreaking research on cognitive abilities across the lifespan. This volume presents an overview of the current state of quantitative and molecular genetic investigations into the many facets of cognitive performance and functioning across the lifespan.​

For over four decades, Behavioral Genetics has explored the crossroads where psychology and genetics meet, advancing step by step with this dynamic area of research as new discoveries emerge. The new Sixth Edition takes its place as the clearest, most up-to-date overview of human and animal behavioral genetics available, introducing students to the field’s underlying principles, defining experiments, recent advances, and ongoing controversies.

This volume examines behavioral genetic research on temperament and personality from a number of perspectives. It takes a developmental perspective on a number of issues across the lifespan, focusing on personality and temperament. The first section focuses on the development of temperament and personality. Typically this has involved exploring genetic and environmental contributions to phenotypic stability and instability, but more recently there has been research that examines the etiology of intra-individual change/growth trajectories. The second section examines genetic and environmental contributions to the association between temperament and personality and other behaviors. The third and fourth sections discuss genotype-environment correlations and interactions, and introduces the reader to molecular genetics research on temperament and personality. Chapter 11 will discuss the significance of this type of research and Chapter 12 will provide an example of specific line of research exploring genes associated with temperament.​

Taking the nature vs. nurture debate to a new level, this fascinating, comprehensive journey into the world of genetic research and molecular biology offers a fresh assessment of the work that has been done in this relatively new field during the last half century-work that has demolished common assumptions and overturned existing theories about what determines our personality and behavior.