Abstract

Misconceptions concerning the relationship between genes and behaviour are widespread. Such misconceptions include the notion that evolutionary biologists and psychologists subscribe to genetic determinism. In contrast to this view, much progress has been made in elucidating the interactive nature of genes and environment. In particular behavioural epigeneticists have outlined the role of environmental experiences which allow for the activation of specific genes during development. The knockon effects of such experiences interacting with the genes an individual inherits helps to explain why personality differences between people occur even when they share most or even all of their genes. The interactive relationship between genes and environment occurs over three time periods: during current brain activity, during development of the individual and during a populations’ evolutionary history.