behavioral genetics

noun, plural in form but singular in construction

variants or behavior genetics

: the study of the relationship between the genetic composition of an organism and its behavior

The third bridge between the biological and the mental is behavioral genetics, the study of how genes affect behavior.

—Steven Pinker, The Blank Slate, 2003

This oversimplified model, which underlies most current research in behavior genetics, ignores the critical importance of the brain, the environment, and gene expression networks.

—Dean Hamer, Science, 4 Oct. 2002

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

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