Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2025
09:35
Environmental Modulations of the Number of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons in Adult Mice
Published on: January 20, 2015
8.7K
Nonshared environment: Real but random
1King's College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience London UK.
JCPP Advances
|October 16, 2024
Summary
Behavioral genetics reveals that non-shared environmental factors significantly impact psychopathology. Research has struggled to identify these environmental causes, suggesting a need for new conceptual frameworks.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Genetics
- Psychopathology
- Environmental Influences
Background:
- Behavioral genetics indicates that at least half of psychopathology variance stems from non-shared environmental effects.
- Despite extensive research, the specific causes of these non-shared environmental influences, particularly parenting, remain unidentified.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the search for systematic causes of non-shared environmental effects in psychopathology.
- To consider a new conceptual framework for understanding 'missing' non-shared environmental influences.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of behavioral genetics research on psychopathology.
- Conceptual analysis of the search for non-shared environmental causes.
Main Results:
- The search for exogenous causes (e.g., parenting) has been unsuccessful.
- Non-shared environment may arise from endogenous processes (e.g., somatic mutations, epigenetics, subjective perceptions) rather than external events.
Conclusions:
- The 'gloomy prospect' of unpredictable non-shared environmental effects may not be as negative as initially perceived.
- Rethinking the nature of non-shared environment is crucial for understanding psychopathology development.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Randomized Experiments
6.7K
The randomization process involves assigning study participants randomly to experimental or control groups based on their probability of being equally assigned. Randomization is meant to eliminate selection bias and balance known and unknown confounding factors so that the control group is similar to the treatment group as much as possible. A computer program and a random number generator can be used to assign participants to groups in a way that minimizes bias.
Simple randomization
Simple...
Simple randomization
Simple...
6.7K
01:09Random Variables
11.4K
A random variable is a single numerical value that indicates the outcome of a procedure. The concept of random variables is fundamental to the probability theory and was introduced by a Russian mathematician, Pafnuty Chebyshev, in the mid-nineteenth century.
Uppercase letters such as X or Y denote a random variable. Lowercase letters like x or y denote the value of a random variable. If X is a random variable, then X is written in words, and x is given as a number.
For example, let X = the...
Uppercase letters such as X or Y denote a random variable. Lowercase letters like x or y denote the value of a random variable. If X is a random variable, then X is written in words, and x is given as a number.
For example, let X = the...
11.4K
02:01Group Design
8.9K
The most basic experimental design involves two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The two groups are designed to be the same except for one difference— experimental manipulation. The experimental group gets the experimental manipulation—that is, the treatment or variable being tested—and the control group does not. Since experimental manipulation is the only difference between the experimental and control groups, we can be sure that any differences between...
8.9K
01:04Random Error
841
Random or indeterminate errors originate from various uncontrollable variables, such as variations in environmental conditions, instrument imperfections, or the inherent variability of the phenomena being measured. Usually, these errors cannot be predicted, estimated, or characterized because their direction and magnitude often vary in magnitude and direction even during consecutive measurements. As a result, they are difficult to eliminate. However, the aggregate effect of these errors can be...
841
01:09Random Sampling Method
11.0K
Sampling is a technique to select a portion (or subset) of the larger population and study that portion (the sample) to gain information about the population. Data are the result of sampling from a population. The sampling method ensures that samples are drawn without bias and accurately represent the population. Because measuring the entire population in a study is not practical, researchers use samples to represent the population of interest. Among the various sampling methods used by...
11.0K
01:09Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
58.2K
In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
58.2K