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The Tangled Tale of Genes and Environment: Moore’s The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of “Nature vs. Nurture”

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Nature—nurture views that smack of genetic determinism remain prevalent. Yet, the increasing knowledge base shows ever more clearly that environmental factors and genes form a fully interactional system at all levels. Moore’s book covers the major topics of discovery and dispute, including behavior genetics and the twin studies, developmental psychobiology, and developmental systems theory. Knowledge of this larger life-sciences context for behavior principles will become increasingly important as the full complexity of gene—environment relations is revealed. Behavior analysis both contributes to and gains from the larger battle for the recognition of how nature and nurture really work.

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Correspondence to Susan M. Schneider.

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I thank Robert Lickliter, Edward K. Morris, Hayne W. Reese, and Ken R. Schneider for their helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript.

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Schneider, S.M. On books. BEHAV ANALYST 30, 91–105 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392149

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