3 Bouchard and Lykken Flashcards
Are You a Natural? Year
1990
Are You a Natural? Authors
Bouchard and Lykken
Are You a Natural? Background (2 things)
(1) The predominate psychological theory prior to this point was behaviorism - the nurture side.
(2) Bouchard and Lykken thought a lot of behavior and personality could be attributed to genetic factors - the nature side.
Are You a Natural? Theory (2 things)
(1) The studies looked at sets of monozygotic twins who grew up in different environments, assuming that any behavioral and personality characteristics they have in common must be genetic.
(2) They compared monozygotic twins who grew up apart (MZA) to twins who grew up together (MZT).
Are You a Natural? Method and Results (5 things)
(1) They completed 4 personality trait scales, 3 occupational inventories, and 2 intelligence tests.
(2) They filled in a family environment scale to establish the environment they grew up in.
(3) Pearson’s r was calculated to establish correlations within MZT and MZA groups.
(4) the r values of both groups were compared.
(5) The MZT and MZA groups were found to be very similar in nearly every area.
Are You a Natural? Significance (3 things)
(1) Genetically identical humans raised in separate settings grew up to be very similar.
(2) Environment had little effect on identical twins who were raised in the same setting.
(3) Environment may influence people’s characteristics, but people’s characteristics also influence the environment.
Are You a Natural? Legacy (3 things)
(1) Criticism: the authors are not publishing their complete data, so their findings cannot be independently evaluated.
(2) Criticism: some researchers say the authors are wrong to assume that twins raised together develop in identical environments.
(3) Recent research: researchers have found a genetic link to the likelihood of divorce, eating disorders, and age at the time of death.
