"Genes and environment. Biology and behavior. Nature and nurture. The terminology may be clear-cut, but the processes themselves are far from simple: unlike the direct cause-and-effect dichotomies of past frameworks, researchers now recognize these family-based connections as multifaceted, transactional, and emergent. [This book] aims at illuminating a multiplicity of approaches and methodologies for studying family dynamics, to match the complex interplay of physiological factors, environmental challenges, and behavioral adaptations that characterize family life and development. Chapters illustrate physical and social influences on parenting, childhood, adolescence, fertility, and family formation, providing analytical frameworks for understanding key areas such as family behavior, health, development, and adaptation to contextual stressors."--Book jacket.