APA Dictionary of Psychology

the effects of genetic constitution on experience, based on the proposal that an individual’s genotype influences which environment they encounter and the type of experiences they have. Three types of genotype–environment effects are proposed: passive (through environments provided by biologically related parents); evocative (through responses elicited by individuals from others); and active (through the selection of different environments by different individuals). [proposed in 1983 by U.S. psychologists Sandra Scarr (1936–  ) and Kathleen McCartney (1955–  )]