Humans, fruit flies, and automatons

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 381-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Charney
Keyword(s):  
Candidate Gene ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Behavior Genetics ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Fruit Flies ◽  
Gene Association ◽  
Candidate Gene Association ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Study Methodology

AbstractMy response is divided into four sections: (1) is devoted to a potpourri of commentaries that are essentially in agreement with the substance of my target article (with one exception); in (2) I address, in response to one of the commentaries, several issues relating to the use of candidate gene association studies in behavior genetics (in particular those proposing a specific G×E interaction); in (3) I provide a detailed response to several defenses of the twin study methodology; and in (4) I conclude with several reflections on that methodology and the conception of human nature it has fostered.

scholarly journals Candidate Genes and Political Behavior

2012 ◽  
Vol 106 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
EVAN CHARNEY ◽  
WILLIAM ENGLISH
Keyword(s):  
Candidate Gene ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Behavior Genetics ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Gene Association ◽  
Candidate Gene Association ◽  
Common Genetic Variants

Political scientists are making increasing use of the methodologies of behavior genetics in an attempt to uncover whether or not political behavior is heritable, as well as the specific genotypes that might act as predisposing factors for—or predictors of—political “phenotypes.” Noteworthy among the latter are a series of candidate gene association studies in which researchers claim to have discovered one or two common genetic variants that predict such behaviors as voting and political orientation. We critically examine the candidate gene association study methodology by considering, as a representative example, the recent study by Fowler and Dawes according to which “two genes predict voter turnout.” In addition to demonstrating, on the basis of the data set employed by Fowler and Dawes, that two genes do not predict voter turnout, we consider a number of difficulties, both methodological and genetic, that beset the use of gene association studies, both candidate and genome-wide, in the social and behavioral sciences.

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