Provocation Panel

Day 1: Thursday, 12 September

Decades of research in behavioural and molecular genetics have demonstrated that nearly all human traits possess a heritable component. This research has also uncovered significant gene-environment correlations, where individuals' exposure to certain environments is influenced by their genetic makeup. Notably, there is evidence suggesting that parenting behaviours are shaped by the child’s genetics (an example of an evocative gene-environment correlation). Together, these findings imply that studies on families and the impact of home environments, including social mobility and the effect of parenting practices on children’s outcomes, might be significantly biased if they do not use genetically informed designs. This Provocation Panel will convene a group of active researchers to discuss the implications of behavioural genetics findings for health and social science research. The session will commence with a short overview of important findings from the behavioural genetics literature. Following this, panellists will debate the (potential) role and integration of genetic data and research designs into broader research. The session will then conclude with an open floor discussion.