Behavior Genetics: Issues and Research Trends

Reviews the book, Perspectives in Behavior Genetics edited by John L. Fuller and Edward C. Simmel (1986). To introduce the studies, Fuller and Simmel provide a chapter in which they review the field of behavior genetics from its inception in the late 1950s. The review is rather unorthodox in nature. It consists of material such as excerpts from three early papers, descriptions of notable behavior genetics textbooks, and a synopsis of major published reviews of the field. The chapters that follow all begin with a review of the research field to be discussed. Research areas addressed include: a longitudinal family study of specific reading disability and the clinical implications derived from this investigation; the genetics of audiogenic seizures in mice; the interaction of genetic and environmental influences on color and visual patterns as they relate to imprinting in quail; a series of studies that investigates the possibility that the biological bases of learning could profitably be studied in fly populations; and the genetic and epidemiological aspects of alcoholism, using both mouse and human models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)