my interest in psychologyI have always been intrigued by the mental processes of humans and animals. As a young child and into my teens, as a student, teacher, and caregiver, I was always interested in psychology in one form or another. This essay will reflect not only the development of my interest in psychology, but also the development of myself as a person. I was born into a family of Native American origin who practiced a strict Protestant religion. As a child, I often wondered why people's attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs could be so different from one another. I wondered why some believed things so zealously, while others believed the opposite so vehemently. As a teenager, I was enrolled in an accelerated high school program from which I graduated at age 14. I was then faced with the decision at a very young age, what direction my adult life would take. During this time, I also began researching my Native American heritage and forming my own views on individuality, life, spirituality, and relationships. My beliefs eventually evolved and became very contrary to the belief system that was prevalent in my childhood environment. It was also during this time that I first discovered the field of psychology. I felt it was very natural for me to move into a field that studied affect, behavior, and cognition in humans and animals, since I had always expressed an interest in this field. During my early years as an undergraduate, I found myself very interested in the psychological issues I was learning about. I also discovered how difficult it could be to go to college and work full time. Duri...... middle of paper ...... expression of cognitive abilities and disabilities. As part of this dissertation, I investigated common research paradigms, such as twin studies and adoption. Additionally, I examined the assumptions used in the methodologies, common data analyzes (i.e., concordance rates and heritability measures), and the methodological strengths and flaws of different experimental designs. . In addition to assisting with research and conducting a literature review (first author) in the field of behavioral genetics, I am a member of several behavioral genetics societies in order to stay up to date on research in the field of genetic inheritance and behavior. Currently, I am deepening my research in these areas by completing my pre-thesis on the interaction of GABA genes in the onset of autistic disorder and an independent project on depression and mental retardation.