The Limits of Family Influence Genes, Experience, and Behavior

Challenging firmly established assumptions about the influence of child rearing on the development of children's personalities and intelligence, this book contends that there has been too heavy an emphasis on the family as the bearer of culture. It draws from behavior genetic research to reveal how environmental variables such as social class, parental warmth, and one- versus two-parent households may be empty of causal influence on child outcomes. The book examines the theoretical basis of socialization science and describes, in great detail, what behavior genetic studies can teach us about environmental influence.
 

David C. Rowe is Professor of Family Studies at the University of Arizona. He received his A.B. degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Colorado. Prior to his present position, he taught at Oberlin College and the University of Oklahoma. He lives in Tucson, Arizona with his wife and son.