Definition
Individual differences refer to the many ways in which people differ in terms of traits or characteristics. In the vernacular of behavioral and molecular genetics, individual differences are known as phenotypic variance.
Introduction
The majority of theoretical and empirical literature in evolutionary psychology tends to focus on the numerous ways in which humans are similar. For example, researchers have illuminated how aspects of the human condition such as sexual attraction, mating strategies, disgust, fear, and even political strategy transcend cultural boundaries. These widespread similarities are a product of our species’ shared evolutionary history and so it is somewhat unsurprising, though certainly fascinating, that members of species share so many similar psychological characteristics. Nonetheless, humans across the globe are certainly not identical; indeed, our species is rich...
Keywords
- Behavioral Genetic Methodology
- Classical Twin Design
- Nongenetic Influences
- Nonshared Environmental Components
- Adoptive Parents
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Barnes, J. C., Wright, J. P., Boutwell, B. B., Schwartz, J. A., Connolly, E. J., Nedelec, J. L., & Beaver, K. M. (2014). Demonstrating the validity of twin research in criminology. Criminology, 52, 588–626.
Beaver, K. M. (2009). Biosocial criminology: A primer. Dubuque: Kendhall/Hunt Publishing.
Buss, D. M. (2009). How can evolutionary psychology successfully explain personality and individual differences? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 359–366.
Caspi, A., McClay, J., Moffitt, T. E., Mill, J., Martin, J., Craig, I. W., … & Poulton, R. (2002). Role of genotype in the cycle of violence in maltreated children. Science, 297, 851–854.
Dawkins, R. (2006). The selfish gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mednick, S. A., Gabrielli, W. F., Jr., & Hutchings, B. (1984). Genetic influences in criminal convictions: Evidence from an adoption cohort. Science, 224, 891–895.
Nedelec, J. L., Park, I., & Silver, I. A. (2016). The effect of the maturity gap on delinquency and drug use over the life course: A genetically sensitive longitudinal design. Journal of Criminal Justice, 47, 84–99.
Penke, L. (2009). Bridging the gap between modern evolutionary psychology and the study of individual differences. In D. M. Buss & P. H. Hawley (Eds.), The evolution of personality and individual differences. New York: Oxford University Press.
Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., Knopik, V. S., & Neiderheiser, J. (2013). Behavioral genetics. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Polderman, T. J., Benyamin, B., De Leeuw, C. A., Sullivan, P. F., Van Bochoven, A., Visscher, P. M., & Posthuma, D. (2015). Meta-analysis of the heritability of human traits based on fifty years of twin studies. Nature Genetics, 47, 702–709.
Segal, N. (2000). Entwined lives. Penguin, New York, NY.
Wright, J. P., Barnes, J. C., Boutwell, B. B., Schwartz, J. A., Connolly, E. J., Nedelec, J. L., & Beaver, K. M. (2015). Mathematical proof is not minutiae and irreducible complexity is not a theory: A final response to Burt and Simons and a call to criminologists. Criminology, 53, 113–120.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Nedelec, J.L., Silver, I.A. (2018). Individual Differences. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1826-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1826-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences