Neighborhood is a key context where children learn to process social information; however, the field has largely overlooked the ways children's individual characteristics might be moderated by neighborhood effects. We examined 1,030 six- to 11-year-olds (48.7% female; 82% White) twin pairs oversampled for neighborhood disadvantage from the Twin…

Near the end of his illustrious career, Gottlieb lamented the continued dominance of heritability analysis in human psychology and the difficulties in winning support for the developmental point of view. Recent, spectacular progress in molecular genetic neuroscience and the genetic study of behavior, however, is rendering heritability analysis…

Reports that textbooks and counseling approaches studied by prospective counselors largely omit information on biological foundations of human behavior, although biological factors often affect human behavior profoundly. Uses case study examples to show importance of biological factors. Recommends that counselor educators understand biological…

Examines the interplay between genes and environment and argues that the development of much individual variation can be explained in terms of relatively simple forms of underlying regulation. Looks at "sensitive periods," during which variation is produced by experience received at a particular age. Includes a discussion of the…

Theories are discussed concerning the relative significance of biological and environmental issues to giftedness, with discussion organized into the "onset" period of the late nineteenth century, with contributions by Charles Darwin, Frances Galton, and Karl Pearson; and the "flowering" period of the early twentieth century with Lewis Terman. (JDD)

Researchers examine how and why America's children are getting fatter and raise new questions about how to treat childhood obesity. (HOD)

The links between endocrine physiological processes and adolescent psychological processes are the focus of this article. Presents a brief history of biopsychosocial research in adolescent development. Discusses four models for conceptualizing hormone-behavior research as illustrative of biopsychosocial models. Concludes with challenges and…

Theory and research on sex differences in adjustment focus largely on parental, societal, and biological influences. However, it also is important to consider how peers contribute to girls' and boys' development. This article provides a critical review of sex differences in several peer relationship processes, including behavioral and…

This review analyzes the origin and maintenance of self-injurious behavior, focusing on the areas of operant contingencies, sensory contingencies, and/or biological variables. It discusses definitions, prevalence, and etiology. A hypothesis is forwarded which includes components from both the operant and biological domains to explain the origin of…

Provides an overview of a longitudinal, prospective, multivariate adoption study of behavioral development and discusses the results of analyses of cognitive measures and environmental assessments as examples of the types of information that can emerge from a design of this sort. (Author/RH)

Presents some of the concepts being developed by evolutionary thinkers to explain how animals deal with varying conditions in their environments. Discusses the environmental perspective. Explains why it involves more than predetermined behavior and that evolutionary theories now include developmental and environmental variables. (Author/JS)

This review notes that more behavioral recovery is often seen following damage to the nervous system than should be possible from the limited capability of the nervous system for regeneration and reorganization. The review offers a framework for reconciling the effectiveness of early childhood intervention strategies and the conclusions of…

Emphasizes the biological dimension of human behavior and demonstrates the need for counselors to have a knowledge of biological mechanisms of human behavior. Explains how certain biological structures and disorders are related to specific behavioral problems, and presents implications for the counseling profession. (Author/RC)

Described is an ongoing study of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, separated in infancy and reared apart. Discussed are the procedures and results of this study with interpretations of the results. The effects of parenting, education, and other interventions are considered. (CW)

Maintains that the "getting into shape" hypothesis of explaining the inverted-U distribution of exercise play across age is likely incorrect. Argues that the biological study of human physical activity play, as recommended by Pellegrini and Smith (1998), will reveal whether physical activity play represents an example of…