In closing, continuing to bridge the gaps between the fields of genetics and psychology is imperative so that genetic-psychological science truly represents the state of the science in each field. The nature of large-scale gene identification studies conducted in adult samples has historically precluded a more fine-grained, developmentally informed understanding of how genetic risk for externalizing disorders contributes to psychopathology. Our approach represents a substantial departure from candidate gene studies and illustrates how recent advances in the world of genetics can be successfully integrated into a developmentally-sensitive psychological study to enhance our understanding of how genetic risk unfolds across time and interfaces with environmental factors.
