nature and nurture

Compares the influence of genes and environmental factors on human development, warding off genetic determinism in the wake of major breakthroughs in gene research, including the decoding of the human genome.

Shows that peer groups matter more than parents in determining the kinds of people children will turn out to be.

Presents the view that low intelligence is the cause of many of America's social problems.

Explains how a small number of genes carry the instructions for building the complex human brain and reveals common misconceptions people have about genes.

Studies the degree to which biology, rather than parenting, can influence a child's personality, values, and aptitudes.

Examines the history of the concept that human behavior can be explained by an individual's temperament; discusses the results of the author's fifteen-year study of whether children inherit traits that determine their behavior as adults; and interprets the implications of Kagan's findings.

Explores the advances and discoveries that were made in genetic research in the last half of the twentieth-century; includes information on popular theories in genetics and molecular biology, the Minnesota twin studies, and the link between genes and personality.

Tells the story of David Reimer, a child born as a boy, but who, because of an accident during circumcision, was surgically altered to live as a girl; discusses his decision as a teenager to reclaim his life as a male; and considers the thinking of the medical community concerning sex reassignment.

Discusses the genetics and heredity of humans and how much nature or nurture has on the growth and well being of individuals.