Genen en omgeving bij gehechtheid : Relevantie van de gedragsgenetica voor de pedagogiek

Abstract

Twin studies and other behavioral genetic designs enable us to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on a certain phenotype. In the current article the behavior-genetic and molecular-genetic backgrounds of individual differences in the quality of attachment are discussed. The child’s inclination to develop an attachment relationship is genetically determined, but the quality of the relationship is largely due to environmental influences (such as parents' sensitive responsiveness). In one molecular genetic study disorganized attachment has been linked to a specific polymorphism of the DRD4 gene, but this result has so far not been replicated in other studies. Gene-environment interaction in the development of (disorganized) attachment, where children differ in their vulnerability to environmental circumstances, is a genuine possibility. The interchange between genetic and environmental factors renders behavior genetic and molecular genetic research particularly relevant to educational research, and, the other way round, renders child and family studies highly relevant to behavior genetics: the environmental influence can be considerable, even for traits that are strongly genetically determined.