Behavioural Genetics: Definition, History, Methods Types & Examples

Behaviour genetics, also known as psychogenetics, is the study of how a person's genetic makeup affects their behaviour as well as how environment and heredity interact to some extent. The "nature-nurture" controversy is the term used to describe the debate over the factors that influence behavioural abilities and disabilities. Behavioural Genes are the topic of the Principle of Inheritance in Biology and they carry a weightage of 2-3% in NEET and 4-5% in CBSE and other Paramedical Exams.

Definition of Behavioural Genetics

Behavioural genetics is the study of how an organism's genes affect its behaviour. It investigates whether a person's genes have an impact on their habits, mannerisms, gestures, posture, etc. There may be a particular composition of behaviour that reflects the influence of genes through the interaction of heredity and growing up in the family environment, etc.

• A branch of study called behaviour genetics examines how genetics affects how living things behave, and frequently examines the nature vs. nurture controversy.

• It also explains the gene which is an element of heredity, a piece of DNA or RNA that is passed down from one generation to the next and explains them separately.

• They transport genetic data, particularly the protein's amino acid sequence.

• On the other hand, a human being's or an organism's physical and mental characteristics are influenced by a variety of factors.

Also Read

• Principle of Inheritance MCQs

• Principles Of Inheritance And Variation

• Mendel's Laws of Inheritance

• Molecular Basis Of Inheritance

Three laws of Behavior genetics

Three basic laws of Behavior genetics are discussed below:

• First Law: All behavioural characteristics in people are inherited.

• Second law: The impact of growing up in the same family is less significant than the impact of genes

• Third Law: There is a significant amount of variation in complex human behavioural traits that cannot be explained by the effects of genes or families.

Methods of Study of Behavioural Genetics

Both humans and animals have been used in the research, but the results from the animal studies are more reliable. This is possible because both the environment and genes can be manipulated in a lab setting. The following experiments were performed to study the genetic and environmental influences on behaviour in humans and animals:

Three major conclusions of these studies include:

• Genes play a role in both behavioural disorders and characteristics.

• Members of the same family often become more dissimilar due to environmental factors rather than more similar.

• As people get older, the influence of genes usually becomes more significant.

Tips, Tricks, and Strategies for Behavioral Genes

It takes effort to remember everything in a single go. We made the entire problem easy. Some of the tricks regarding Behavioral Genes are given below which you can use to memorise the important points.

Behavioral Genetics Memory Aids

"SET: Selective Breeding, Environment, Twin Approach"

• S: Selective Breeding

• E: Environment

• T: Twin Approach

Influences on Behavior

"GEM: Genes, Environment, Mutation"

• G: Genes

• E: Environment

• M: Mutation

Types of Genetic Influences

"ACE: Additive, Common, Environmental"

• A: Additive Effects

• C: Common Environment

• E: Environmental Influences

Genetic Conditions and Behavior

"BCS: Behavioral Conditions, Syndromes"

• B: Behavioral Conditions

• C: Conditions

• S: Syndromes

Heritability

"RIPE: Relative Importance of Genetics and Environment"

• R: Relative

• I: Influence

• P: Population

• E: Environmental Interactions

Types of Questions Asked from Behavioural Genes

During exam preparation, different types of questions about the behavioural Genes are asked. The table below contains the different patterns of questions asked in different exams.

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