A classic example of gene-environment interaction is Tryon's (1942) artificial selection experiment on maze-running ability in rats. Tryon produced a remarkable difference in maze running ability in two selected lines after seven generations of selecting "bright" and "dull" lines by breeding the best and worst maze running rats with others of similar abilities. The difference between these lines was clearly genetic since offspring of the two lines, raised under identical typical lab conditions, performed too differently. This difference disappeared in a single generation, if those rats were raised in an enriched environment (Cooper & Zubek 1958) with more objects to explore and more social interaction. This result shows that maze running ability is the product of a gene-by-environment interaction, the genetic effect is only seen under some environmental conditions.
References
- Cooper, R. M. & Zubek, J. P. (1958). Effects of enriched and restricted early environments on the learning ability of bright and dull rats. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 12:159–164.
- Tryon, R. C (1940). Genetic differences in maze-learning ability in rats. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education 39:111-119.
- Tryon, R. C. (1942). Individual differences. in F. A. Moss (ed) Comparative psychology (Rev. Ed.). Prentice-Hall: NY.
See also
- Diathesis-stress model
- Epigenetic Theory
- Evolutionary developmental psychology
- Biopsychosocial model
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday February 20, 2008 at 13:53:13 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
A classic example of gene-environment interaction is Tryon's (1942) artificial selection experiment on maze-running ability in rats. Tryon produced a remarkable difference in maze running ability in two selected lines after seven generations of selecting "bright" and "dull" lines by breeding the best and worst maze running rats with others of similar abilities. The difference between these lines was clearly genetic since offspring of the two lines, raised under identical typical lab conditions, performed too differently. This difference disappeared in a single generation, if those rats were raised in an enriched environment (Cooper & Zubek 1958) with more objects to explore and more social interaction. This result shows that maze running ability is the product of a gene-by-environment interaction, the genetic effect is only seen under some environmental conditions.
References
- Cooper, R. M. & Zubek, J. P. (1958). Effects of enriched and restricted early environments on the learning ability of bright and dull rats. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 12:159–164.
- Tryon, R. C (1940). Genetic differences in maze-learning ability in rats. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education 39:111-119.
- Tryon, R. C. (1942). Individual differences. in F. A. Moss (ed) Comparative psychology (Rev. Ed.). Prentice-Hall: NY.
See also
- Diathesis-stress model
- Epigenetic Theory
- Evolutionary developmental psychology
- Biopsychosocial model
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday February 20, 2008 at 13:53:13 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
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