Behavior Genetics of Cognition Across the Lifespan

Deborah Finkel is a Professor of Psychology at Indiana University Southeast. Her research interests include applying the methods of behavioral genetics to investigations of cognitive aging and biological markers of the aging process and the methods of longitudinal analysis to twin data to investigate genetic and environmental influences on longitudinal change. She was named a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America in 2002. Chandra A. Reynolds is currently Professor of Psychology at the University of California Riverside. Her research interests focus on the interrelationships between health and cognition across development. She directs projects that consider the etiology of cognitive change and decline, including biological and candidate gene markers and their possible interaction with social-environmental factors. Other projects include examinations of early-life influences on longitudinal change in health, well-being, and cognition as well as longevity.

From the reviews: "The intent is to provide a state-of-the-field look at the behavioral genetics of cognition in a much more advanced and fine-tuned manner across the lifespan in normal and abnormal cases. This book is intended for anyone interested in genetics, cognition, and development. This could include cognitive neuroscientists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, developmental psychologists, and others. ... For readers interested in behavioral genetics and cognitive function, this book provides a cogent, current review of the literature ... ." (Christopher J. Graver, Doody's Book Reviews, May, 2014) "The book is a useful starting point for students and researchers unfamiliar with the field and a valuable resource for scholars of human development, aging and cognition. It covers normal range cognition as well as intellectual disabilities in childhood and dementing disorders in later age. ... This book provides an excellent summary of how far we have come and how far is left to go." (Carol A. Prescott, Behavior Genetics, Vol. 44, 2014)

• Part I: Childhood.- 1.Cognitive abilities in childhood and adolescence.-2.Interactions between socioeconomic status and components of variation in cognitive ability.-3.Genetic and environmental influences on intellectual disability in childhood.- Part II: Adulthood.- 4.Cognition in middle adulthood.-5.Normative cognitive aging.- 6.Gene by environment interplay in cognitive aging.- 7.Dementia: Genes, environments, interactions.- Part III: Biology and Neurobiology.- 8.Brain imaging and cognition.- 9.Animal models of general cognitive ability for genetic research into cognitive functioning.- Part IV: Conclusion.-10.Future directions.-