ABSTRACT
The philosophical ideas that developmental scientists follow are not only associated with different theories of human development and with specific conceptions of key features of the definition of development. This chapter emphasizes that theory should shape the questions to be addressed in the research of a developmental scientist. It utilizes the relational developmental systems (RDS)-based ideas to frame the concepts and theories that are presented and provides the overall conceptual framework with which subsequent literature will be described and explained. The chapter focuses on models that seek to study human development through attempts to reduce it to purported essential elements, specifically genes or genetic "mechanisms." It discusses past genetic reductionist models and focuses on the ideas of Konrad Lorenz, Sir Cyril Burt, and Arthur Jensen. The chapter explains how RDS-based models lead to elevating the importance of specific change-sensitive and idiographically-oriented research designs, measures, and data analysis procedures.
