The development of individual differences in intelligence and personality

Abstract

(from the chapter) present an elaboration of the theory of genotype-environment effects [in the development of individual differences in intelligence and personality] / the major theses of the theory are: (a) an evolutionary perspective can unite the study of both species-typical development and individual variation; (b) environments within the normal species range are, of course, required for species-normal development, but research in modern societies suggests that individual variation among children reared in those environments arise primarily from genetic variation and from individually experienced environments, not from objectively measured environments; (c) environments should be seen as opportunities for experiences that are constructed by persons in developmentally changing and individually different ways; and (d) within dominant cultures in modern Western and Asian societies most differences in development are not due to differences in environmental opportunities (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2003 APA, all rights reserved)