DHB: Collaborative Research: Cultural and Genetic Basis of Social Support Use

尽管公众对基因和基因分型的兴趣正在增加，但关于遗传学的公共讨论大多集中在一个简单的概念上，即存在一个单一的、可识别的基因，可以直接与特定的心理或行为倾向(例如？害羞基因？)。当与群体差异（如文化和种族差异）联系在一起时，这种对基因作用的简单理解可能会产生特别大的问题，因为这种观点可能导致人们认为，许多观察到的心理和行为差异是天生的和固定的。基因对日常行为形成的影响远非简单，社会和文化因素如何影响基因的行为表达在很大程度上仍然未知。目前的研究考察了文化如何影响特定基因导致特定行为模式的方式。先前的研究发现，人们在依赖社会支持来应对压力方面存在很大差异。也就是说，欧洲裔美国人比亚洲/亚裔美国人更倾向于明确和直接地寻求社会支持，而亚洲/亚裔美国人更倾向于间接和隐性的社会支持。先前的研究还发现，特定的基因（例如，血清素转运蛋白启动子多态性）可以影响心理倾向（例如，一个人对压力的反应有多强烈）。在这些发现的基础上，这项研究调查了具有相同遗传倾向的人，如果他们暴露在不同的文化规范和期望中，他们的行为是否会有很大的不同。因此，这项研究将调查文化是否以及如何使基因的心理和行为表达多样化。更具体地说，本研究将探讨：1)特定基因如何与应激反应和社会关系的心理倾向相关联；2)文化如何与这些特定基因相互作用，从而产生人们使用社会支持的文化差异方式；3)亚洲人在适应美国文化的过程中，社会支持行为的特定文化模式是如何变化的。研究将结合基因分析和多种心理学方法，如大型调查设计、实验室实验和日常日记。该研究项目结合了心理学、生物学和人类学等领域，旨在为理解跨文化和跨种族的行为差异建立一个新的跨学科理论框架。这个研究项目是美国和韩国研究人员之间的一个国际合作项目，也将为研究人员和学生提供机会，让他们接触到不同学科的理论和技术方法，并接受培训。最后，这个研究项目将有助于建立一个科学知识库，可以用来教育公众关于基因在决定人类行为中的作用，并促进对群体差异的更复杂的理解。

Although public interest in genes and genotyping is increasing, much of the public discourse on genetics centers on the simplistic notion that there is a single, identifiable gene that can be directly linked to specific psychological or behavioral tendencies (e.g. ?The Shyness Gene?). This simplistic understanding of the role of genes can be particularly problematic when it is associated with group differences, such as cultural and racial differences, as such a view can lead to thinking that many observed psychological and behavioral differences are innate and fixed. The influence of genes on the shaping of everyday behaviors is far from simple and how social and cultural factors impact the behavioral expression of genes is still largely unknown. The present research examines how culture might influence the way in which particular genes lead to specific patterns of behaviors. Previous research has found that there are large differences in how people rely on social support to cope with their stress. That is, European Americans tend to seek social support more explicitly and directly than Asians/Asian Americans, who prefer more indirect and implicit social support. Previous research has also found that particular genes (e.g., serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism) can influence psychological predispositions (e.g., how strongly a person reacts to stress). Building on these findings, this research examines whether people with the same genetic predisposition actually behave in largely different manners, if they are exposed to different cultural norms and expectations. The research will thus investigate whether and how culture might diversify the psychological and behavioral expression of genes. More specifically, the present research will examine: 1) how specific genes are linked to psychological proneness to stress reactivity and social affiliation; 2) how culture interacts with these specific genes to produce the culturally divergent ways in which people use social support; and 3) how the culturally specific patterns of social support behavior of Asians change as they acculturate to the U.S. The studies will combine genetic analysis with multiple psychological methods, such as large survey design, lab experiment, and daily diary. Bridging the fields of psychology, biology, and anthropology, this program of research aims to create a new interdisciplinary theoretical framework for understanding cross-cultural and cross-ethnic behavioral variation. This program of research, an international collaboration between researchers in the United States and the Republic of Korea, will also foster opportunities for researchers and students to be exposed to and trained in theoretical and technical approaches in the different disciplines. Finally, this program of research will contribute to a scientific pool of knowledge that can be utilized in educating the public regarding the role of genes in the determination of human behaviors and promoting a more sophisticated understanding of group differences.