| Abstract: | Presents a lecture delivered at the 1980 meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association. The present status of behavior genetics is reviewed. The nature-nurture issue is considered, and research on the genetic–environment interaction is advocated. Many hybrid sciences use reductionism to explain the phenomena of complex systems by the principles of the more basic sciences that deal with the component parts of these systems. A reductionistic view of behavior genetics is rejected; instead, the author prefers an approach that examines how biological factors directly influence behavior. Current trends in behavior genetics are identified. (French abstract) (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
