ASHG STATEMENT - RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN HUMAN BEHAVIORAL-GENETICS - PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND FUTURE-DIRECTIONS

The field of behavioral genetics has enormous potential to uncover bot h genetic and environmental influences on normal and deviant behavior. Behavioral-genetic methods are based on a solid foundation of theorie s and methods that successfully have delineated components of complex traits in plants and animals. New resources are now available to disse ct the genetic component of these complex traits. As specific genes ar e identified, we can begin to explore how these interact with environm ental factors in development. How we interpret such findings, how we a sk new questions, how we celebrate the knowledge, and how we use or mi suse this knowledge are all important considerations. These issues are pervasive in all areas of human research, and they are. especially sa lient in human behavioral genetics.