Behavioral genetics is an umbrella term encompassing studies purporting to show a connection between the genetic make up of an organism and its behavior. Such approaches have been applied to a variety of organisms, ranging from the relatively simple worm (C. elegans), through the fruit fly (Drosophila) and up to humans. Behavioral genetics research, involving both humans and simpler animal model systems, has accelerated in recent years. Yet the advances of that research have been questioned on both conceptual and methodological grounds, and have also been viewed as contentious by some because of the social implications of the work. The project will illuminate such issues by applying the tools and perspectives of analytic philosophic to the arguments and evidence offered in the scientific literature of behavioral genetics. Special attention will be given to the logical possibility of disentangling `genetic` from `environmental` influences, and the evidence required to do so in a convincing manner. The PI will also examine the causal claims made from various theoretical perspectives within behavioral genetics(e.g., developmentalist, interactionist, connectionistic, and classical perspectives). The project will result in a series of articles and a book, written for a variety of audiences that include scientists and philosophers, policy makers, and the general public.
