Genes, Environment, and Human Behavior

This class will examine how genetic influences impact various dimensions of human behavior, ranging from traits (e.g. personality) to psychiatric disorders. Topics to be covered include methods used to study genetic influence, how genetic predispositions interact with the environment, and ethical implications. Modern methods for gene-identification, such as genomewide association studies, polygenic risk scores and epigenetic experiments will be examined in detail. Emphasis will be placed on understanding core concepts (e.g. what is identity-by-descent) as well as application (e.g. calculate heritability, interpretation of results from published studies). PREREQ: Psych 100B. 3 units. Same as L64 PNP 3451.