Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-2rsb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-12T18:35:25.699Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Why twin studies really don't tell us much about human heritability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1999

Sidney J. Segalowitz
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1 Canada ssegalow@brocku.ca
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

The derivation of heritability from human twin studies involves serious methodological flaws. Heritability is consistently overestimated because of biological confounds of twinning, consistent and often gross underestimation of the environmental variance, and nonadditive genetic influences that can hugely exaggerate heritability values. Despite this bad research design, behaviour geneticists continue to publish results implying that their heritability results are valid.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
© 1999 Cambridge University Press