[Genetically determined variability in mental and emotional development (author's transl)].

Human beings develop in biologically determined phases: During certain periods of life, sensitivity for learning specific tasks is increased. For successful completion of the learning process, however, adequate offers from the environment are necessary. Within the limits of this general rule, considerable genetically determined, interindividual differences are observed. The ability to develop faster or slower in certain phases of life, - strong and weak points, - specific chances and liabilities are distributed unevenly. The art of education consists in adjusting offers for learning to these individual differences. In addition to the cognitive field, requirements for emotional and social learning should not be neglected. Research on biologic maturation, on its interaction with offers from the environment, and on genetic variability will have to include in future increasingly neurobiologic concepts and methods.