PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN ON HERITABILITY STUDIES: BIOSOCIAL CRIMINOLOGY IN THE POSTGENOMIC ERA*
PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN ON HERITABILITY STUDIES: BIOSOCIAL CRIMINOLOGY IN THE POSTGENOMIC ERA*
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DOI：
10.1111/1745-9125.12036
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发表时间：
2014-05-01
期刊：
影响因子：
5.8
通讯作者：
Simons, Ronald L.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Burt, Callie H.;Simons, Ronald L.
不幸的是，犯罪学中关于先天与后天的争论仍在继续。在过去的5年里，犯罪学中遗传性研究的数量激增。这些研究无一例外地报告了相当大的遗传率估计（约为50%），以及所谓的犯罪和相关结果的共同环境的最小影响。如此复杂的社会行为具有如此高的遗传性的报道令人惊讶，并且研究结果表明可以忽略的共同环境影响（通常解释为包括养育和社区因素）似乎令人难以置信，因为广泛的犯罪学研究证明了它们的重要性。然而，重要的是，这些估计所基于的模型对于犯罪等复杂的社会行为存在致命缺陷。此外，遗传力研究的目标--区分自然和养育的影响--是被误导的，因为基因、细胞、生物体和环境之间是双向的、相互影响的关系。本研究提供了遗传力的研究方法和假设的批评，阐明了可疑的遗传力估计的基础和问题的合理性和实用性的分区遗传和环境的影响。在批评了主要的模型之后，我们呼吁结束遗传力研究。然后，我们提出了我们认为是一个更有用的生物社会研究议程，是一致的，并告知我们的基因功能和发育可塑性的理解的最新进展。
Unfortunately, the nature-versus-nurture debate continues in criminology. Over the past 5 years, the number of heritability studies in criminology has surged. These studies invariably report sizeable heritability estimates (approximate to 50 percent) and minimal effects of the so-called shared environment for crime and related outcomes. Reports of such high heritabilities for such complex social behaviors are surprising, and findings indicating negligible shared environmental influences (usually interpreted to include parenting and community factors) seem implausible given extensive criminological research demonstrating their significance. Importantly, however, the models on which these estimates are based have fatal flaws for complex social behaviors such as crime. Moreover, the goal of heritability studiespartitioning the effects of nature and nurtureis misguided given the bidirectional, interactional relationship among genes, cells, organisms, and environments. This study provides a critique of heritability study methods and assumptions to illuminate the dubious foundations of heritability estimates and questions the rationale and utility of partitioning genetic and environmental effects. After critiquing the major models, we call for an end to heritability studies. We then present what we perceive to be a more useful biosocial research agenda that is consonant with and informed by recent advances in our understanding of gene function and developmental plasticity.