Owing to the inherent limits of so many of the studies that we have considered, both in terms of what has been measured and how the data have been analyzed and presented in primary publications, it remains impossible to be certain whether the extensive findings considered throughout this paper as evidence of differential susceptibility should be regarded as such. Recall in this regard that rather liberal standards of interpretation have, by necessity, been applied to G × E findings, most of which emerged from investigations designed to evaluate diathesis–stress hypotheses. To enable both primary researchers and reviewers of the literature in the future, including meta-analysts, to address this fundamental issue about how human development operates, investigatory and reporting practices will need to change; and hopefully, this selective review, by calling attention to the possibility of differential susceptibility, will stimulate such change.
