Chunk #38 — Reasons to be Concerned about the Published cGxE Literature — The Ingredients of cGxE: The Choice of Genetic and Environmental Variables — The Choice of “E”
be expected to vary as a function of stage of development. More specific theoretical dimensions associated with “stress” should accompany such temporal distinctions (e.g., loss or humiliation life events versus life events conveying threat and danger versus other types of adaptive challenges). In a very real sense, there should be candidate “stressors” proposed for particular conditions based on a theoretical understanding of the plausible underlying mechanisms. Viewed from an alternative perspective, no one would expect to find a ‘true’ cGxE interaction if the wrong gene was assessed for the particular outcome. In a similar manner, any potentially valid cGxE interaction will go undetected if the wrong form of environment is assessed, or if the right form of the environment is assessed poorly (Monroe & Reid, 2008).
