Behavior Genetics of Cognition Across the Lifespan

by Deborah Finkel (Editor), Chandra A. Reynolds (Editor)

Overview

Along with psychopathology, cognition has been one of the primary phenotypic focal points of the field of behavior genetics since its inception. Francis Galton’s 1874 examination of eminent families in Britain was among the earliest attempts to investigate whether cognitive achievements run in families. This volume presents current methodologies for understanding cognitive abilities that move beyond the outdated nature vs. nurture paradigm. Recent advances in both collection and statistical modeling of twin data, particularly longitudinal twin data, make this an especially advantageous moment to produce a work that presents a collection of the groundbreaking research on cognitive abilities across the lifespan. This volume presents an overview of the current state of quantitative and molecular genetic investigations into the many facets of cognitive performance and functioning across the lifespan.​

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493902392
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	08/05/2015
Series:	Advances in Behavior Genetics , #1
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2014
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

Deborah Finkel is a Professor of Psychology at Indiana University Southeast. Her research interests include applying the methods of behavioral genetics to investigations of cognitive aging and biological markers of the aging process and the methods of longitudinal analysis to twin data to investigate genetic and environmental influences on longitudinal change. She was named a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America in 2002.

Chandra A. Reynolds is currently Professor of Psychology at the University of California Riverside. Her research interests focus on the interrelationships between health and cognition across development. She directs projects that consider the etiology of cognitive change and decline, including biological and candidate gene markers and their possible interaction with social-environmental factors. Other projects include examinations of early-life influences on longitudinal change in health, well-being, and cognition as well as longevity.

Table of Contents

Part I: Childhood.- 1.Cognitive abilities in childhood and adolescence.-2.Interactions between socioeconomic status and components of variation in cognitive ability.-3.Genetic and environmental influences on intellectual disability in childhood.- Part II: Adulthood.- 4.Cognition in middle adulthood.-5.Normative cognitive aging.- 6.Gene by environment interplay in cognitive aging.- 7.Dementia: Genes, environments, interactions.- Part III: Biology and Neurobiology.- 8.Brain imaging and cognition.- 9.Animal models of general cognitive ability for genetic research into cognitive functioning.- Part IV: Conclusion.-10.Future directions.-

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

“The intent is to provide a state-of-the-field look at the behavioral genetics of cognition in a much more advanced and fine-tuned manner across the lifespan in normal and abnormal cases. This book is intended for anyone interested in genetics, cognition, and development. This could include cognitive neuroscientists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, developmental psychologists, and others. … For readers interested in behavioral genetics and cognitive function, this book provides a cogent, current review of the literature … .” (Christopher J. Graver, Doody’s Book Reviews, May, 2014)

“The book is a useful starting point for students and researchers unfamiliar with the field and a valuable resource for scholars of human development, aging and cognition. It covers normal range cognition as well as intellectual disabilities in childhood and dementing disorders in later age. … This book provides an excellent summary of how far we have come and how far is left to go.” (Carol A. Prescott, Behavior Genetics, Vol. 44, 2014)

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Christopher J Graver, PhD, ABPP-CN(Madigan Healthcare System)
Description: Behavioral genetics has been primarily focused on two areas of expression: psychopathology and cognition. This book, part of the Advances in Behavioral Genetics series, aims to further explore the genetic science as it relates to the cognition branch of investigation.
Purpose: The intent is to provide a state-of-the-field look at the behavioral genetics of cognition in a much more advanced and fine-tuned manner across the lifespan in normal and abnormal cases.
Audience: This book is intended for anyone interested in genetics, cognition, and development. This could include cognitive neuroscientists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, developmental psychologists, and others. There is a cast of international contributing authors that are accomplished, along with some contributions from graduate students under their mentorship.
Features: There are two main sections, one for childhood and one for adulthood. The childhood section is fairly predictable with an introduction, exploration of behavioral genetic models, discussion of cognitive development and dysfunction, and ending with a discussion of a few major genetic disorders that affect cognition in substantial ways. The coverage is sound with a range of tables and figures, as well as a variety of references that adeptly review pertinent studies going back 100 years, while still integrating current research up to 2013. The childhood section is respectable, but the adulthood section is more intriguing. It begins with a chapter on genetic influences on cognition in middle adulthood, a period typically viewed as stable before ostensible age-related changes manifest. There are well-thought-out investigations of changes in certain subgroups that can help to identify risk and protective factors. There is an enlightening table on heritability values for various neuropsychological tests in middle age (40-60), as well. The discussion on normative cognitive aging and the roles genes continue to play in late life is cutting edge, but there are equally thought-provoking points made about the roles that environment plays, including a review of studies showing that subjective environments (e.g., perception of certain aspects) have a stronger relationship with functioning than objective measures of environmental factors. The book concludes with a review of neuroimaging and genetic studies with a focus on a few specific disorders. Although length is certainly a concern in a book approaching 300 pages, the coverage of a wider variety of disorders in each of the sections probably would have been worth an extra 30-50 pages. A small issue is the index, which is somewhat incomplete for such a lengthy book.
Assessment: For readers interested in behavioral genetics and cognitive function, this book provides a cogent, current review of the literature, while going well beyond a mundane regurgitation of the science and bringing to the table insightful awareness of novel ideas that should seed further research.

Doody's Review Service