Genes&Environment

More data has been collected on IQ than any other trait. The studies presented in the article regarding IQ suggest that genetic effects on IQ are increased during childhood and into adulthood, “Results of these two studies indicate that genetic influence on IQ increases substantially during childhood. The latter study suggests that genetic effects on IQ during early childhood correlate highly with genetic effects on adult IQ,” (Plomin, 1989: 106). It is easy for me to agree with the results because some people just seem preconditioned for success. Although I do think that even if you are not predisposed by genetics to be intelligent you could work throughout your childhood and test for a higher IQ when you are an adult.

The testing that is done on creativity, “show less genetic influence than any other dimension within the cognitive domain,” (Plomin, 1989: 106). These results are somewhat surprising in the face of the other data on IQ that suggest that genetics play a large role in cognitive skills. This may lead us t

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dies. The studies show that a person who is the sibling of a mildly retarded individual may also be mildly retarded. The sibling of a severely retarded individual are more likely to have a normal IQ. I think that the result of these studies show the influence of environment more than that of genetics. A person who is in a family where a sibling has severe mental retardation may be separated more from the retarded sibling. The sibling of the mildly retarded individual may be less separated from the retarded sibling. The sibling of the mildly retarded individual may not develop cognitive skills any faster than his or her sibling because separation from the sibling may not be occurring often enough. Personality as a hereditary trait is also presented among the studies in the article. Perhaps the most heritable components of personality are extraversion and neuroticism, “From infancy to adulthood these two traits and activity level have been proposed as the most heritable components of personality,” (Plomin, 1989: 107). Before I read the results of this study I believed that such personality traits as extraversion and neuroticism were only influenced by one’s environment. Even though heredity can play a major role in thes
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1253
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)