Nature or nurture? Are individuals born as an empty slate and shaped by their environment or are we already programmed to react in certain ways? Strelau (emeritus, psychology, Warsaw University; since 1998 professor at the Warsaw School of Social Psychology) has spent more than fifty years studying this age-old question. He bases some of his conclusions on the pioneering work of the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov but carries them into the twenty-first century by including genetic studies. Strelau intends this book to provide a framework for others studying the field. He spends several chapters on methodology. He also gives the results of his studies, primarily on how different people react in stressful situations. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)