Synonyms
Definition
The study of how genes and environments contribute to behavioral variation
Introduction
Behavioral (or behavior) genetics has a long past, dating back to the breeding of animals for behavioral characteristics. For example, some 50 different breeds of dogs are mentioned in surviving Greek and Roman documents, in such behaviorally distinct categories as hunting dogs, shepherd dogs, guard dogs, war dogs, and pets (Brewer et al. 2001).
The present account of behavior genetics will, however, be primarily focused on differences among individuals, not breeds. It will chiefly address individual differences among humans. Work with other species – in laboratories and in the wild – will be mentioned, but not reviewed in detail. For a more comprehensive account of both human and animal behavior genetics and the biological background, the reader may wish to consult a standard textbook on behavior genetics, such as Plomin et al. (2013).
The behavior genetic...
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Loehlin, J.C. (2016). Behavioral Genetics. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_734-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_734-1
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Behavioral Genetics- Published:
- 05 April 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_734-2
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Behavioral Genetics- Published:
- 15 December 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_734-1