The past 30 years of research in behavioral genetics, cognition, and neuroscience have begun to clarify how life experiences contribute to individual development relative to biological makeup. Gustavus Adolphus College's 38th Nobel Conference, titled "The Nature of Nurture," convenes on October 1 and 2, 2002, to explore the forces that are most important in shaping a child's personality, gender identity, and language acquisition and learning ability, while also addressing such topics as the role of parenting and the effects of early stimulation on the brain and how the brain develops in response to changing life circumstances. We invite you to join us to hear seven distinguished authorities lecture on and debate "The Nature of Nurture."
 Nobel corporate sponsors include:


Seven noted experts in the field have accepted the College's invitation to participate in the 2002 conference:

  • Eric R. Kandel
      Center for Neurobiology and Behavior
      Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York
      2000 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine

  • Avshalom Caspi
      Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatric Research Centre
      Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and
      Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison

  • Jerome Kagan
      Department of Psychology
      Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
      Author of Galen's Prophecy and Three Seductive Ideas

  • Eleanor E. Maccoby
      Department of Psychology
      Stanford University, Stanford, California
      Author of Patterns of Child Rearing and Psychology of Sex Differences

  • Thomas H. Murray
      President, The Hastings Center, Garrison, New York, and Former Director,
      Center for Biomedial Ethics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
      Author of The Worth of a Child

  • Robert Plomin
      Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre
      Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London
      Author of Genetics and Experience: The Interplay Between Nature and Nurture

  • Judith L. Rapoport
      Chief, Child Psychiatry Branch
      National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland
      Author of The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing

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