Heritability Demonstrating heritability: show that people who are more similar genetically are also more similar on the trait. Adoption studies Similarity between adoptive siblings (environment) Similarity between bio parent and adopted away child (genes) Family studies Ps and Cs share 50% of their genes Ss share 50% of their genes Step Ps and Cs share 0% of their genes Half-siblings share 25% of their genes Twin studies fraternal (DZ) share 50% of their genes identical (MZ) share 100% of their genes MZ > DZ shows genetic effect

Heritability Twins reared apart and together fraternal twins reared apart (DZA) fraternal twins reared together (DZT) identical twins reared apart (MZA) identical twins reared together (MZT) Within last design: MZT share 100% of genes and environment MZA share 100% of genes only DZT share 50% of genes and environment DZA share 50% of genes

Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart Over 100 sets of reared-apart twins or triplets from around the world Age at separation from birth to 4.5 years median of.2 years Years from separation to first contact from 0 to 64 years median of 33.8 years Undergo a massive assessment Zygosity determined with: serological comparisons fingerprint ridge count anthropometric measurements p of misclassification less than 1 in 1000

Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart We have learned two things: 1) genetic factors exert a profound and pervasive influence on behavioral variability 2) the effect of being reared in the same home is negligible for many psychological traits (but this may actually be due to underestimates—see Borkeneau) Three contributors to phenotypic variation Genetic variability Variability due to shared familial environment--contribution of family characteristics that influence individuals reared in the same family in the same way Variability due unshared familial environment

Intraclass Correlations on MPQ for 4 Kinship Groups ScaleMZADZAMZTDZT Well-being Social Potency Achievement Social Closeness Positive Emotionality Stress Reaction Alienation Aggression Negative Emotionality Control Harm Avoidance Traditionalism Constraint Absorption

Estimates of Environmental and Genetic Effects ScaleGenetic Shared Environ. Unshared Environ. Well-being Social Potency Achievement Social Closeness Positive Emotionality Stress Reaction Alienation Aggression Negative Emotionality Control Harm Avoidance Traditionalism Constraint Absorption

Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart 1) personality differences are more influenced by genetic diversity than they are by environmental diversity Vt = Vg + Ves + Veu, where Veu includes measurement error and nontrait score fluctuations, therefore environmental components can't represent much more than 20-35% of the variation 2) common environment plays a generally very modest role in the determination of many personality traits runs counter to what many psychologists believe

Walter Mischel Genes and glands are obviously important, but social learning theory also has a dramatic role. Imagine the enormous differences that would be found in the personalities of twins with identical genetic endowments if they were raised apart in two different families.... Through social learning vast differences develop among people in their reactions to most stimuli they face in daily life. Is wrong

Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart 3) MZA twins are so similar in psychological traits because their identical genomes make it probable that their effective environments are similar