The Developmental Trajectory of Genotype-Environment Correlation in Early Adolescence

Evidence for the presence of genotype-environment (GE) correlations has been accumulating in recent years. This chapter explores the developmental trajectory of GE correlation in early adolescence. A GE correlation is simply a correlation between a genotype and the environment to which the genotype is exposed. There are three ways that a genotype and an environment can be correlated: passively, evocatively, and actively. Passive GE correlation refers to the transmission of both genes and environment from parents to their children. Evocative GE correlation refers to environments that are evoked by the child's genotype, whereas active GE correlation occurs when children actively select environments that are correlated with their genotype. The present analysis integrates previous reports of GE correlation with new explorations using the most recent Colorado Adoption Project data to provide a larger picture of GE correlation from infancy to early adolescence.