Harper Lawrence V
Department of Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Psychol Bull. 2005 May;131(3):340-60. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.3.340.
Currently, behavioral development is thought to result from the interplay among genetic inheritance, congenital characteristics, cultural contexts, and parental practices as they directly impact the individual. Evolutionary ecology points to another contributor, epigenetic inheritance, the transmission to offspring of parental phenotypic responses to environmental challenges-even when the young do not experience the challenges themselves. Genetic inheritance is not altered, gene expression is. Organismic pathways for such transmission exist. Maternal stress during the latter half of a daughter's gestation may affect not only the daughter's but also grand-offspring's physical growth. The author argues that temperamental variation may be influenced in the same way. Implications for theory and research design are presented along with testable predictions.
目前，行为发展被认为是遗传、先天特征、文化背景和父母教养方式之间相互作用的结果，因为这些因素会直接影响个体。进化生态学指出了另一个影响因素，即表观遗传，也就是亲代表型对环境挑战的反应会传递给后代——即使后代自身并未经历这些挑战。遗传物质并未改变，只是基因表达发生了变化。这种传递的生物途径是存在的。女儿孕期后半段母亲所承受的压力不仅可能影响女儿，还可能影响孙辈的身体发育。作者认为气质差异可能也会受到同样的影响。文中还提出了对理论和研究设计的启示以及可检验的预测。
