Synopses & Reviews
True or false?
Eye color is determined solely by genes
Genes limit our potential
Some traits are more genetic than others
Surprisingly, all of these statements are false. We continually hear about new studies that tell us genes are responsible for traits like obesity, depression, breast cancer, violent behavior, and others. But contrary to public opinion, genes don't determine the final form of any of our traits, even biological ones like hair and eye color.
David S. Moore's The Dependent Gene is the first accessible book to show how all traits are caused by complex, dependent interactions, between genes and the environment. In clear, elegant language, Moore investigates how these interactions occur at every stage of biological and psychological development-from a single fertilized egg to a full-grown adult.
Our beliefs about where traits come from affect how we think about parenting, education, crime, health care, reproduction, and other social issues. In addition, biotechnological advances like cloning and DNA "fingerprinting" have made more important than ever before to understand the role of genetic factors in trait development. An enlightening guide to this brave new world, The Dependent Gene empowers readers to take control of their own destiny.
Review
"A provocative and gracefully written book that will surely generate discussion and debate."--Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., author of
Three Seductive Ideas"The Dependent Gene is a masterful analysis. A useful and engaging guide for the lay reader, the practicing scientist, and all who seek a more integrative approach to the endlessly fascinating process of development." --Robert Lickliter, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Synopsis
A masterful guide to human development that redefines the nature versus nurture debateA much-needed antidote to genetic determinism, The Dependent Gene reveals how all traits-even characteristics like eye and hair color-are caused by complex interactions between genes and the environment at every stage of biological and psychological development, from the single fertilized egg to full-grown adulthood.
How we understand the nature versus nurture debate directly affects our thoughts about such basic issues as sex and reproduction, parenting, education, and crime, and has an enormous impact on social policy. With life-and-death questions in the balance surrounding stem-cell research, cloning, and DNA fingerprinting, we can no longer afford to be ignorant of human development. An enlightening guide to this brave new world, The Dependent Gene empowers us to take control of our own destiny.
About the Author
David S. Moore, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Pitzer College and at Claremont Graduate University. He received his doctorate in developmental psychology from Harvard University and did his post-doctoral work at the City University of New York. His work with infants first alerted him to the remarkably complex interplay between nature and nurture in the development of traits, and his views on these subjects have been augmented by his subsequent work in the newly emerging, interdisciplinary fields of developmental cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychobiology.