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  • © 2016

Behavioural Genetics for Education

Palgrave Macmillan

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
  2. How Genetics Can Help Education

    • Yulia Kovas, Tatiana Tikhomirova, Fatos Selita, Maria G. Tosto, Sergey Malykh
    Pages 1-23
  3. Gene-Environment Correlations in the Context of Parenting and Peer Relationships

    • Jeffrey Henry, Michel Boivin, Mara Brendgen
    Pages 42-59
  4. Studying Rare Genetic Syndromes as a Method of Investigating Aetiology of Normal Variation in Educationally Relevant Traits

    • Maja Rodic, Darya Gaysina, Sophia Docherty, Sergey Malykh, Kaili Rimfeld, Robert Plomin et al.
    Pages 77-95
  5. The Nature and Nurture of Wellbeing

    • Claire M. A. Haworth
    Pages 113-129
  6. Molecular Genetic Investigations of Personality: From Candidate Genes to Genome-wide Associations

    • Anastasiya Kazantseva, Sergey Malykh, Elza Khusnutdinova
    Pages 130-154
  7. Behavioural Genetic Studies of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

    • Elena Gindina, Darya Gaysina
    Pages 155-184
  8. Genetic Research on Sleep, Sleep Disturbances and Associated Difficulties

    • Alice M. Gregory, Michael J. Parsons, Nicola L. Barclay, Philip Gehrman, Rachael E. O’Leary
    Pages 185-204
  9. The Role of Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors in Aetiology of Suicidal Behaviour

    • Aigul Zainullina, Adelina Valiullina, Elza Khusnutdinova
    Pages 205-230
  10. Conclusion: Behavioural Genomics and Education

    • Yulia Kovas, Sergey Malykh
    Pages 269-276
  11. Back Matter

    Pages 277-311

About this book

Educational environments interact with children's unique genetic profiles, leading to wide individual differences in learning ability, motivation, and achievement in different academic subjects – even when children study with the same teacher, attend the same school and follow the same curriculum. This book considers how education can benefit from the recent progress in genetically informative research. The book provides new insights into the origins of individual differences in education traits such as cognitive abilities and disabilities; motivation and personality; behavioural and emotional problems; social functioning; well-being, and academic achievement. Written and edited by international interdisciplinary experts, this book will be of interest to teachers, parents, educational and developmental psychologists, policy makers and researchers in different fields working on educationally-relevant issues.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

    Yulia Kovas

  • Russian Academy of Education, Russia

    Sergey Malykh

  • University of Sussex, UK

    Darya Gaysina

About the editors

Yulia Kovas is Professor of Genetics and Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, where she directs InLab – International Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Investigations into Individual Differences in Learning. She is also the director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Investigations and Behavioural Genetics, Tomsk State University (TSU), Russia; co-director of the International Centre for Research in Human Development (TSU); and co-director of the Russian-British Laboratory for Behavioural Genetics, Psychological Institute of the Russian Academy of Education.  She directs the Russian School Twin Register (RSTR) and leads the mathematics research direction in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), King’s College, London, UK.


Sergey Malykh is Professor of Psychological Institute of the Russian Academy of Education, where he directs the Laboratory for Developmental Behavioural Genetics and co-directs the Russian-British laboratory for Behavioural Genetics. He is also the Head (Academician-Secretary) of the Department of Psychology and Developmental Physiology of the Russian Academy of Education and co-director of the International Centre for Research in Human Development (TSU). The focus of his research is currently on the genetic and environmental origins of variation in psychological and psychophysiological traits. He is the author of more than 300 publications.  Among them, Foundation of Behavioural Genetics (1998), the first textbook on this topic in Russia. 


Darya Gaysina is Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Sussex, UK and leads the interdisciplinary research program in Genetics and Psychopathology (EDGE Lab). She is also a member of the Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice. Darya obtained a PhD in Human Genetics from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on exploring environmental and genetic factors, and their interplay, in relation to psychopathology across the life course. She is an author of more than 40 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.



Nicola L. Barclay, Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, Northumbria University, UK Philipp Barsky' Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Russia 
Michel Boivin, École de psychologie, Pavillon Félix-Antoine-Savard, Université Laval, Canada 
Mara Brendgen, Département de psychologie, Faculté des sciences humaines, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada 
Huajian Cai, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China 
Sophia Docherty, MRC Social, Genetic & Development Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK 
Darya Gaysina, Rudd Centre for Adoption Research and Practice, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, UK 
Elena Gindina, Psychological Institute,Russian Academy of Education, Russia 
Claire Haworth, University of Bristol, UK 
Jeffrey Henry, École de psychologie, Pavillon Félix-Antoine-Savard, Université Laval, Canada 
Philip Gehrman, Department of Psychiatry & Penn Sleep Centre, University of Pennsylvania, USA 
Alice M. Gregory, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK 
Ansatasia Kazantseva, Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia 
Elza Khusnutdinova, Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia; Bashkir State University, Russia 
Yulia Kovas, Tomsk State University, Russia; Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Russia; Goldsmiths, University of London, UK 
Yu L. L. Luo, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China 
Sergey B.Malykh, Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Russia 
Rachael E. O'Leary, Department of Psychology, University of Kent, UK
Michael J. Parsons, Mammalian Genetics Unit, MRC Harwell, UK 
Stephen A. Petrill, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, USA 
Robert Plomin, MRC Social, Genetic & Development Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK 
Kaili Rimfeld, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK 
Maja Rodic, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK 
Fatos Selita, Tomsk State University, Russia 
Tatiana Tikhomirova, Psychological Institute, Russian Academy of Education, Russia 
Maria Tosto' Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK 
Adelina Valiullina, Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
Aigul Zainullina, Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia                                                                                                                                                              

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access