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Future Directions

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Behavior Genetics of Cognition Across the Lifespan

Part of the book series: Advances in Behavior Genetics ((AIBG,volume 1))

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Abstract

In this future directions chapter, we look back at how the field of behavior genetics of cognition has changed in the transition from the twentieth century and acknowledge the gains that have been made. Then, we look forward to identify issues that are still in need of attention or resolution and new directions that we feel the field is prepared to explore. Since Waldman’s (1997) review of the field, we have made considerable progress in the following areas: focus on specific cognitive abilities; incorporating extremes of cognitive function and environmental background in our studies; searching for specific genetic loci associated with specific cognitive abilities; incorporating measures of environments in genetically informative studies; investigating gene by environment correlation and interaction; using developmental behavioral genetic methods to examine cognitive change; and using behavior genetics as a tool for examining the construct validity of intelligence. The fact that each issue is represented in more than one chapter in this volume, usually many chapters, highlights the fundamental integration of issues and approaches that characterizes the field of behavior genetics today. Common threads in the calls for future work include molecular genetics, environmental specificity, cognitive ability phenotypes, a broadening of the concept of interplay between genes and environments, and the continuing need for both quantitative and molecular approaches.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge that a portion of this work was supported by the National Institutes of Aging (R01 AG037985). We thank Irwin Waldman for his input on this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Indiana University Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Road, 47150, New Albany, IN, USA

    Deborah Finkel PhD

  2. Department of Psychology, University of California, 92521, Riverside, CA, USA

    Chandra A. Reynolds PhD

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  1. Deborah Finkel PhD
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  2. Chandra A. Reynolds PhD
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Correspondence to Deborah Finkel PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, Indiana University Southeast, Grant Line Road 4201, New Albany, 47150, Indiana, USA

    Deborah Finkel

  2. University of California at Riverside, Riverside, 92521, California, USA

    Chandra A. Reynolds

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Finkel, D., Reynolds, C. (2014). Future Directions. In: Finkel, D., Reynolds, C. (eds) Behavior Genetics of Cognition Across the Lifespan. Advances in Behavior Genetics, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7447-0_10

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