How People Make Their Own Environments: a Theory of Genotype Greater Than Environment Effects

Overview

Journal Child Dev

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 1983 Apr 1

PMID 6683622

Citations 513

Authors

S Scarr

K McCartney

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We propose a theory of development in which experience is directed by genotypes. Genotypic differences are proposed to affect phenotypic differences, both directly and through experience, via 3 kinds of genotype leads to environment effects: a passive kind, through environments provided by biologically related parents; an evocative kind, through responses elicited by individuals from others; and an active kind, through the selection of different environments by different people. The theory adapts the 3 kinds of genotype-environment correlations proposed by Plomin, DeFries, and Loehlin in a developmental model that is used to explain results from studies of deprivation, intervention, twins, and families.

Citing Articles

Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reduced hippocampal subfield volumes, and word reading.

Yang H, Cohen J, Pagliaccio D, Ramphal B, Rauh V, Perera F Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2025; 72:101508.

PMID: 39827783 PMC: 11787556. DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2025.101508.

Warmth and Control: Examining the Associations between Chinese Parenting Behaviors and Children's Academic Performance in Different Parent-Child Dyads.

Sun R, Ren H, Liu J, Chen X, Li D J Youth Adolesc. 2024; .

PMID: 39731659 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-024-02128-x.

Reframing Social and Emotional Development of the Gifted.

Sternberg R Behav Sci (Basel). 2024; 14(9).

PMID: 39335968 PMC: 11429130. DOI: 10.3390/bs14090752.

Parent-child interaction at age 5 months: genetic and environmental contributions and associations with later socio-communicative development.

Hardiansyah I, Warreyn P, Ronald A, Taylor M, Falck-Ytter T J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2024; 66(3):279-288.

PMID: 39260443 PMC: 11812491. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.14055.

Gene-environment correlation: the role of family environment in academic development.

Zhou Q, Gidziela A, Allegrini A, Cheesman R, Wertz J, Maxwell J Mol Psychiatry. 2024; 30(3):999-1008.

PMID: 39232197 PMC: 11835719. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02716-0.