Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-jbqgn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-25T00:22:34.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Addressing genetic essentialism: Sharpening context in behavior genetics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2023

Brian Byrne Open the ORCID record for Brian Byrne [Opens in a new window]  and
Richard K. Olson
Brian Byrne
Affiliation:
University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia bbyrne@une.edu.au www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/hass/bbyrne
Richard K. Olson
Affiliation:
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA richard.olson@colorado.edu www.colorado.edu/ibg/richard-k-olson
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Evidence of a causal role for genes in human behavior underpins genetic essentialism, the scientifically flawed and socially hazardous idea that heritable characteristics are immutable. Behavior geneticists can challenge this idea by designing research that brings the contextual dependence of heritability estimates into sharper focus, and by incorporating a relevant statement into research reports and public outreach.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e187
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Belsky, D. W., Moffitt, T. E., Sugden, K., Williams, B., Houts, R., McCarthy, J., & Caspi, A. (2013). Development and evaluation of a genetic risk score for obesity. Biodemography and Social Biology, 59, 85–100. doi: doi.org/10.1080/19485565.2013.774628CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Byrne, B., Olson, R. K., & Samuelsson, S. (2013). Subsample standardization in twin studies of academic achievement. In Annual conference of the behavior genetics association, July, Marseilles, France.Google Scholar
Dar-Nimrod, I., & Heine, S. J. (2011). Genetic essentialism: On the deceptive determinism of DNA. Psychological Bulletin, 137, 800–818. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021860.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grasby, K. L., Coventry, W. L., Byrne, B., & Olson, R. K. (2019). Little evidence that socioeconomic status modifies heritability of literacy and numeracy in Australia. Child Development, 90, 623–637. doi: 10.111/cdev.12920CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grinde, K. E., Qibin, Q., Thornton, T. A., Simin, L., Shadyab, A. H., Chan, K. H. K., … Sofer, T. (2019). Generalizing polygenic risk scores from Europeans to Hispanics/Latinos. Genetic Epidemiology, 43, 50–62. doi: doi.org/10.1002/gepi.2216CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haslam, N., & Kvaale, E. P. (2015). Biogenetic explanations of mental disorder: The mixed-blessings model. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24, 399–404. https://doi.org/10.1177/096372141558808CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heath, A. C., Berg, K., Eaves, L. J., Solaas, M. H., Corey, L. A., Sundet, J., … Nance, W. E. (1985). Education policy and the heritability of educational attainment. Nature, 314, 734–736.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lebowitz, M. S., Ahn, W.-K., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2013). Fixable or fate? Perceptions of the biology of depression. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81, 518–527. https://doi.org/10.1037/a00311730CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ojanen, E., Ronimus, M., Ahonen, T., Chansa-Kabali, T., February, P., Jere-Folotiya, J., … Lyytinen, H. (2015). GraphoGame – A catalyst for multi-level promotion of literacy in diverse contexts. Frontiers in Psychology. 6(671), 1–13. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00671CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Samuelsson, S., Byrne, B., Olson, R. K., Hulslander, J., Wadsworth, S., Corley, R., … DeFries, J. C. (2008). Response to early literacy instruction in the United States, Australia, and Scandinavia: A behavioral-genetic analysis. Learning and Individual Differences, 18, 289–295. doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2008.03.004CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Surigo, G., Williams, S. M., & Tishkoff, S. A. (2019). The missing diversity in human genetic studies. Cell, 177, 26–31. doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.02.048CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker-Drob, E. M., & Bates, T. C. (2016). Large cross-national differences in gene × socioeconomic status interaction on intelligence. Psychological Science, 27, 138–149. doi: doi.org/10.1177/0956797615612727CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed