Behavior Genetics Association
Encyclopedia
The Behavior Genetics Association is a learned society
that was established in 1970 and promotes research into the connection between heredity
and behavior
.
entitled Behavior Genetics
. The first 12 annual meetings were held in different places within the United States. In 1983, the association held its first annual meeting in Europe (London) and since then meetings have been held in the US, alternating with venues in Europe, Australia, and Korea.
, and Associate Members, which are students in good standing at a recognized college or university. Members receive a complimentary subscription to the society's journal as well as discounted registration rates for the association's annual meetings.
, called the executive committee. The board consists of 8 members: president, president-elect, past-president, secretary, treasurer
, and three members-at-large (one representing the general membership, one representing associate members, and one representing members from outside North America). Members of the executive committee serve three-year terms. To ensure continuity, one member-at-large is elected every year.
. Other notable presidents include Irving I. Gottesman (1976), John C. Loehlin
(1980), Steven G. Vandenberg
(1984), Sandra Scarr
(1985), Robert Plomin
(1989), Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr. (1993), Glayde Whitney
(1994), Nick Martin
(1996–1997), and Dorret Boomsma
(2008). Whitney's presidential address at the 1995 annual meeting in Richmond, Virginia, on the possible genetic roots of the relationship between race and crime, caused a controversy resulting in several resignations from the association's executive committee. The association subsequently declared that "the Association has no official spokesman and that the presidential address does not represent official policy of the association". In addition, it was stated that "members are not encouraged to express their personal political and moral views" in presentations given at the meeting, which should be strictly scientific.
(1983), who also was a previous editor-in-chief of the journal. The awards committee consists of the journal's editorial advisory board
.
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
that was established in 1970 and promotes research into the connection between heredity
Heredity
Heredity is the passing of traits to offspring . This is the process by which an offspring cell or organism acquires or becomes predisposed to the characteristics of its parent cell or organism. Through heredity, variations exhibited by individuals can accumulate and cause some species to evolve...
and behavior
Behavior
Behavior or behaviour refers to the actions and mannerisms made by organisms, systems, or artificial entities in conjunction with its environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the physical environment...
.
Aims
The association's goal is "to promote scientific study of the interrelationship of genetic mechanisms and behavior, both human and animal; to encourage and aid the education and training of research workers in the field of behavior genetics; and to aid in the dissemination and interpretation to the general public of knowledge concerning the interrelationship of genetics and behavior, and its implications for health and human development and education." To help attain these goals, the society organizes an annual meeting and publishes its official scientific journalScientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
entitled Behavior Genetics
Behavior Genetics (journal)
Behavior Genetics is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published monthly by Springer Science+Business Media that is devoted to "research in the inheritance of behavior". It is the official journal of the Behavior Genetics Association. The journal was founded in 1971 with Steven G. Vandenberg as...
. The first 12 annual meetings were held in different places within the United States. In 1983, the association held its first annual meeting in Europe (London) and since then meetings have been held in the US, alternating with venues in Europe, Australia, and Korea.
Membership
The society has two classes of members: Regular Members, which are persons who teach or perform research related to behavioral geneticsBehavioural genetics
Quantitative human behavioural genetics is a specialisation in the biological field of behaviour genetics that studies the role of genetics in human behaviour employing quantitative-genetic methods. The field is an overlap of quantitative genetics and psychology...
, and Associate Members, which are students in good standing at a recognized college or university. Members receive a complimentary subscription to the society's journal as well as discounted registration rates for the association's annual meetings.
Governance
The society's business are conducted by a board of directorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, called the executive committee. The board consists of 8 members: president, president-elect, past-president, secretary, treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
, and three members-at-large (one representing the general membership, one representing associate members, and one representing members from outside North America). Members of the executive committee serve three-year terms. To ensure continuity, one member-at-large is elected every year.
Presidents
Presidents serve three-year terms. Upon election, they become president-elect and they serve as chair of the program committee for that year. After one year they become president and in the third year of their term they serve as past-president. The association's first president was Theodosius DobzhanskyTheodosius Dobzhansky
Theodosius Grygorovych Dobzhansky ForMemRS was a prominent geneticist and evolutionary biologist, and a central figure in the field of evolutionary biology for his work in shaping the unifying modern evolutionary synthesis...
. Other notable presidents include Irving I. Gottesman (1976), John C. Loehlin
John C. Loehlin
John Clinton Loehlin is an American behavior geneticist and psychology and computer science professor emeritus. Loehlin has served as president of the Behavior Genetics Association and of the Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology....
(1980), Steven G. Vandenberg
Steven G. Vandenberg
Steven Vandenberg was a behavior geneticist who immigrated to the US after the Second World War, obtaining his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1955....
(1984), Sandra Scarr
Sandra Scarr
- Biography :Born in Maryland, her family followed her father, who was stationed at the United States Army's largest chemical weapon facility through much of her childhood. Scarr earned her Ph.D...
(1985), Robert Plomin
Robert Plomin
Robert Plomin is an American psychologist best known for his work in twin studies and behavior genetics. Plomin has made two of the most important discoveries in that field. First, he has shown the importance of non-shared environment, a term that he coined to refer to the environmental reasons...
(1989), Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr. (1993), Glayde Whitney
Glayde Whitney
Glayde D. Whitney was a behavioral geneticist and psychology professor at Florida State University. Beyond his work into the genetics of sensory system function in mice, in his later life he supported race and intelligence research and eugenics.-Biography:Whitney was born in Montana and grew up in...
(1994), Nick Martin
Nick Martin
Nicholas Gordon Martin is a leading behavior geneticist who has published over 600 peer-reviewed articles on topics as diverse as the heritability of religion and intelligence to medical disorders such as endometriosis...
(1996–1997), and Dorret Boomsma
Dorret Boomsma
Dorret I. Boomsma is a Dutch biological psychologist specializing in the study of twins.- Education :* High School: Willem de Zwijgerlyceum, Bussum* Bachelors: Vrije Universiteit in Psychology, cum laude, 1979...
(2008). Whitney's presidential address at the 1995 annual meeting in Richmond, Virginia, on the possible genetic roots of the relationship between race and crime, caused a controversy resulting in several resignations from the association's executive committee. The association subsequently declared that "the Association has no official spokesman and that the presidential address does not represent official policy of the association". In addition, it was stated that "members are not encouraged to express their personal political and moral views" in presentations given at the meeting, which should be strictly scientific.
Awards
The association gives several yearly awards for accomplishments in the field of behavioral genetics. The Dobzhansky Award, named after its first president, is given for lifetime accomplishments. The award committee consists of the past president and the two next most recent past presidents. The Fuller & Scott Award is an early career award for accomplishments by researchers that are within seven years of receiving their terminal degree. The award is named after former presidents John L. Fuller and John Paul Scott and the award committee is the same as for the Dobzhansky Award. The Thompson award, named after former president W. R. Thompson (1977), is given for an outstanding presentation during the annual meeting by an associate (student) member. Here, the awards committee consists of the past president together with the three members-at-large of the executive committee. In addition, the society gives the yearly Fulker Award for an outstanding paper published in Behavior Genetics. This award is named after former president David FulkerDavid Fulker
David W. Fulker was a behavioural geneticist. Among positions of esteem, he was elected president of the Behavior Genetics Association , and was executive editor of the society's journal Behavior Genetics...
(1983), who also was a previous editor-in-chief of the journal. The awards committee consists of the journal's editorial advisory board
Editorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
.