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Programs: Science and Policy

http://shr.aaas.org//projects/genetics/bgenes/meetings.shtml


AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

Behavioral Genetics Project

Project Meetings

Meeting Agendas

Meeting 1, May 23-25, 2000; Meeting 2, January 8-9, 2001; Meeting 3, June 13-15, 2001;
Meeting 4, November 14-16, 2001
; Meeting 5, June 10-12, 2002

Meeting 1, May 23-25, 2000
The Hastings Center, Garrison, NY

Tuesday, May 23
1:00-3:30 pm
Introductions
4:00-5:30 pm Social and Historical Context - Patricia King
5:30-7:30 pm Dinner
7:30-9:00 pm Journalists, Scientists, and Behavioral Genetics - Rick Weiss
Wednesday, May 24
9:00-10:15 pm Genetics in the 20th Century - Elving Anderson
10:45-12:00 pm Distinguishing Genetic and Environmental Effects - Lee Ehrman
12:00-1:00 pm Lunch
1:00-3:00 pm Non-molecular Approaches - Irving Gottesman
3:30-5:30 pm Molecular Approaches - John Rice and Jonathan Beckwith
Thursday, May 25
9:00-10:30 am The Genetics of Behavior and Concepts of Free Will and Determinism
- Dan Brock
11:00-12:30 pm Reaching Out to the Public and Professional Communities: Designing the Project's Products - Len Fleck, Yvette Miller and Nancy Press

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Meeting 2, January 8-9, 2001
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC
Monday, January 8
8:15-8:30 am Introductory Remarks
8:30-9:45 am How Do Physicians Define the Phenotype "Bipolar Disorder"? - Elliott Gershon
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What is the bipolar phenotype? Are there non-illness phenotypes associated with this illness in families? How is bipolar distinguished from other psychiatric disorders and from normal behavior? Does bipolar disorder lie on a behavioral continuum or is it a discrete condition?
How does the disorder affect patients' self-perceptions and their relationships with others?
How might genetic findings impact the clinical and phenotypic definitions? How is it genetically transmitted, and how close are we to identifying the component susceptibility genes?
How will physiological aspects of illness (endophenotypes) be used in future gentics studies?
9:45-11:00 am

What Have the Nonmolecular Approaches (Twin Studies) Contributed to the Understanding of Bipolar Disorder? - Irv Gottesman

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What methods have been used in family, twin, and adoption studies?
What is the evidence for unexpressed genotypes in affective disorders?
What have we learned from these studies about the role of genetic and environmental factors?
What are the limitations of these studies?
11:00-11:15 am Break
11:15-12:30 pm What Have Molecular Approaches (Linkage and Association Studies) Contributed to the Understanding of Bipolar Disorder? - John Rice
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How many research groups have contributed data concerning the genetics of bipolar? How do their patient samples and the definition of the phenotype differ?
What kinds of studies do you employ when analyzing those data?
What are the most important contributions of such studies to our understanding of genetic factors? Have any chromosomal regions been excluded? What regions apear interesting for further study?
What are the limitations of this approach?
What new approaches might help in the genetic analysis of bipolar disorder?
12:30-1:30 pm Lunch
1:30-3:00 pm Social Context, Justice, and Fairness - Karen Lebacqz
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What general justice and fairness concerns are raised by behavioral genetics?
What are we doing when we "go hunting" for genes associated with bipolar disorder, impulsivity, or intelligence?
In what sense are conditions like bipolar "socially constructed"?
3:00-3:30 pm Break
3:30-5:30 pm The Lived Experience of Bipolar Disorder - Kay Redfield Jamison
· An open, exploratory discussion with the working group and guests.
Tuesday, January 9
8:00-9:15 am Group discussion of Elliot Sober's Essay, "Separating Nature and Nurture," Initiated by Elving Anderson
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What do geneticists mean by heritability?
What do others understand the term to mean?
What does Sober's paper contribute to the discussion?
9:15-10:45 am What Do Philosophers Mean by "Free Will" in General and in the Context of Bipolar Disorder in Particular? - Carl Elliott
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What are the major philosophical views on free will?
In general, what if any difference does genetic information make for those views?
In particular, what if any difference does genetic information about bipolar make for how we understand the free will of persons with bipolar disorder?
10:45-11:15 am Break
11:15-12:15 pm Discussion of Our Scholarly Products, Web Products, and "Behavioral Genetics Primer" - Audrey Chapman, Cathy Baker, Rachel Gray, Erik Parens
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What are we trying to accomplish with our (well-integrated) "scholarly" book? Who are its audiences?
What are we trying to accomplish with our web site? Audiences?
What are we trying to accomplish with our primer of behavioral genetics? Who are the audiences?
12:15-1:15 pm Lunch
1:15-3:15 pm What Behavioral Genetics Issues Are on the Minds of the Publics and How Can Our Project Reach Out to Them? - Audrey Chapman and public representatives Sue Levi-Pearl, Margo Smith, Janice Robinson & John Holmfeld
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What questions are on the minds of various publics regarding genetics in general and behavioral genetics in particular?
How can information on behavioral genetics be effectively communicated to those publics?
What role can our project play in reaching out to those various publics?

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Meeting 3, June 13 - 15, 2001
The Hastings Center, Garrison, NY

Overview & Agenda of Meeting 3

Primary purpose of the meeting is to develop our understanding of:
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the normative assumptions at work in behavioral genetics research; the basic methodological problems inherent in such research; and, ultimately, the difference between strong and weak behavioral genetics research
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recent research regarding the genetics of behaviors related to "impulsivity"
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social dangers and opportunities that attend the science
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public beliefs regarding the science
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potential consequences of the science for the legal system

Wednesday, June 13
Part I: The genetics of impulsivity and the legal system
7:00-8:45 pm Impulsivity, Responsibility, and the Criminal Law - Hal Edgar
Thursday, June 14
Part II: Critical perspectives on behavioral genetics in general
and "impulsivity" in particular
9:00-10:20 am Social Context and Behavioral Genetics Inquiry: Search Warrants for Research into Impulsivity and Violence - Troy Duster
10:40-12:00 pm Genetics and Identity: How We Shape-and Are Shaped by-Our Labels - Nancy Press
12:00-1:00 pm
Lunch
Part III: The science
1:00-2:30 pm Normative Assumptions and Methodological Problems in the Genetic Study of Complex Behaviors - Jonathan Marks
2:50-4:20 pm Novelty Seeking and Related Personality Traits: Current Directions in Quantitative and Molecular Genetic Research - Robert Krueger
4:40-6:00 pm Genetic and Environmental Influences on Antisocial Behavior - Irwin Waldman
Friday, June 15
Part IV: Empirical work on public perceptions of genes and behavior
9:00-9:50 am Genetic Explanations for Human Behaviors: A National Study of White Americans' Beliefs and Attitudes - Toby Jayaratne
9:50-10:40 am Public Understanding of the Relationship between Race and Genetics and Genetics and Behavior - Celeste Condit
11:00-11:50 am Genes, Disease, and Stigma: Perceived Genetic Etiology and Attitudes and Beliefs about Mental Illness - Jo Phelan
11:50-12:30 am General discussion of the empirical work
12:30-1:30 pm Lunch
Part V: Wrap-up Session
1:30-2:30 pm Group Discussion led by Cathy Baker and Rick Weiss
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What we think we've heard about the state of the science.
The social dangers and opportunities that attend the science.
What this means for justice and the legal system.
What the public may think about all this.

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Meeting 4, November 14 - 16, 2001
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC

Overview & Agenda of Meeting 4

The purposes of this meeting are to:
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continue our work identifying the basic concepts -- and controversies -- in behavioral genetics research
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explore the case of the genetics of intelligence
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learn from our British colleagues about their public consultation regarding behavioral genetics
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begin our reflections on the difference behavioral genetics might make for our understanding of equality
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continue the discussion of our web site

Wednesday, November 14
1:00-1:20 pm Introduction - Erik Parens
1:20-3:10 pm Key Concepts in the Science of Behavioral Genetics - Ken Schaffner
3:40-5:30 pm Key Controversies Regarding the Methods and Assumptions of Behavioral Genetics - Jon Beckwith with comments by Robert Wachbroit and Elving Anderson
5:30-7:00 pm
Dinner
7:00-8:30 pm Conversation between - Robert Krueger and Nancy Press
 
Thursday, November 15
9:00-10:30 am The Intelligence Phenotype - David Lubinski
11:00-12:30 pm Genetic Studies of Intelligence - Matt McGue
12:30-1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30-3:00 pm Methodological Concerns About the Genetic Study of Intelligence - Marc Feldman
3:30-5:00 pm The Genetics of Intelligence and Group Attribution, with Particular Attention to Race - Troy Duster, with comments by Irv Gottesman
 
Friday, November 16
8:30-10:00 am Behavioral Genetics and Equality - Dan Brock
10:00-10:45 am The Web Site - AAAS Staff
11:15-12:15 pm Report from Nuffield Council - Sandy Thomas and Tom Baldwin
12:15-1:15 pm Lunch
1:15-2:45 pm Public Conversation about Behavioral Genetics - Len Flock and Yvette Miller
2:45-3:15 pm Next Steps

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Meeting 5, June 10 - 12, 2002
The Hastings Center, Garrison, NY

Overview & Agenda of Meeting 5


Monday, June 10
1:00-1:15 pm Introduction - Erik Parens
1:15-4:00 pm What Has Behavioral Genetics Taught Us so far about Our Three Cases?
  Main Themes in Genetics - Elving Anderson
  Bipolar Disorder - Irv Gottesman
  Impulsivity - Greg Carey
  Cognitive Ability (Intelligence) - John Loehlin
4:30-5:30 pm Draft of first chapters for the primer - Cathy Baker
Discussion
5:30-7:00 pm
Dinner
Followed by "What One Lay Person Thinks He's Learned about Race, Genetics, and Intelligence" - Erik Parens
 
Tuesday, June 11
9:00-10:30 am Race, Genetics, and Intelligence: Where Do We Stand? - Irv Gottesman, chair
  Developments in the Past Decades - John Loehlin
  The Collaborative Perinatal Project (CPP) - Elving Anderson
  Socioeconomic Status and IQ in the CPP - Eric Turkheimer
11:00-12:30 pm Behavioral Genetics and Equality - Dan Brock, comments by Audrey Chapman
12:30-1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30-4:00 pm Can We Agree about "Three Laws of Behavior Genetics"?
  Three (or More?) Laws of Behavior Genetics - Eric Turkheimer
  Foundational Problems in Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics - Ken Schaffner
  Estimating Heritability (equal environment, additivity, etc.) - Greg Carey
4:30-5:30 pm Discussion of Plans for the Public Meeting - Mark Frankel
 
Wednesday, June 12
9:00-10:15 am Behavioral Genetics and the Concept of Normality - Robert Wachbroit
10:45-12:00 pm How Can the Media (Scientists, and Ethicists) Contribute to a more Productive Public Conversation? - Rick Weiss

Meeting 1, May 23-25, 2000; Meeting 2, January 8-9, 2001; Meeting 3, June 13-15, 2001;
Meeting 4, November 14-16, 2001
; Meeting 5, June 10-12, 2002

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