Question

Jimmy and Ellen are in the same kindergarten class. Jimmy is shy and withdrawn; he prefers to play alone and is reluctant to participate in group activities. Jimmy enjoys to read and write, and he sits still and follows his teacher’s directions. Ellen is rambunctious, has trouble sitting still, and is easily distracted. She likes playing with other kids but doesn’t like to share, and she often throws temper tantrums when she doesn’t get her way.

Based on what you know about Jimmy and Ellen, describe how both evocative and active gene-environment correlations might influence their development. Be sure to discuss each type of gene-environment correlation (evocative and active) for each child (Jimmy and Ellen; four gene-environment correlations total, 1.5 points each). For the purposes of this quiz, you can assume that the characteristics described above are largely driven by their genes.

I need help answering this question for my developmental psychology class.

Answer 1

Evocative (or reactive) gene–environment correlation happens when an individual's (heritable) behavior evokes an environmental response.

Active gene–environment correlation occurs when an individual possesses a heritable inclination to select environmental exposure.

Passive gene–environment correlation refers to the association between the geno type a child inherits from his or her parents and the environment in which the child is raised.

Based on Jimmy and Ellen's study we will understand how evocative and active gene-environment correlations might influence their development.

1. Parents create a home environment that is influenced by their own heritable characteristics.
2. Biological parents also pass on genetic material to their children. When the children's genotype also influences their behavioral or cognitive outcomes, the result can be a spurious relationship between environment and outcome. For example, because parents who have histories of antisocial behavior (which is moderately heritable) are at elevated risk of abusing their children, a case can be made for saying that maltreatment may be a marker for genetic risk that parents transmit to children rather than a causal risk factor for children’s conduct problems.
3. Evocative (or reactive) gene–environment correlation happens (example) the association between marital conflict and depression may reflect the tensions that arise when engaging with a depressed spouse rather than a causal effect of marital conflict on risk for depression.
4. Active gene environment happens (example) individuals who are characteristically extroverted may seek out very different social environments than those who are shy and withdrawn.

Gene–environment correlation can also arise from non-causal mechanisms, including evolutionary processes and behavioral 'contamination' of the environmental measure. Evolutionary processes, such as genetic drift and natural selection, can cause allele frequencies to differ between populations.