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Effects On Heritability And Environment : Twin And Family Studies

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Whitney Davis Nova South Eastern University The Effects on Heritability and Environment: Twin and Family Studies Abstract Many internal and external components collide in order to create individual personalities, behaviors unique to every individual person. The argument of genetic makeup versus environmental influences, however, has researchers working to determine what really defines us. Some say genotypes control the way people think,how they feel, and the ways in which they behave. Others choose to believe that the environment alone in itself is ultimately the determinant for making each individual human into who they are.…show more content…
The focus of this paper will be to define the contributing factors that determine personality utilizing the research on twins and family studies. Hereditability is defined as a statistical definition, and it defines heritability as the proportion of phenotypic variance attributable to genetic variance. The second definition is more common "sensical". It defines heritability as the extent to which genetic individual differences contribute to individual differences in observed behavior (or phenotypic individual differences) ("Heritability: Introduction," n.d.) . The genetic sequences that an individual receives from their parents..and their parent’s parents can have a dominant impact on that individual’s personality. The general conclusion emerging from heritability studies is the inconsistencies in almost every human characteristic—including inclination and social behaviors—is shaped significantly by genetic influences (Plomin et al., 2012; Turkheimer, 2000). For example, studies have shown substantial heritability usually around 50 percent or more of everything from the fact of how much time a person spends watching tv (Plomin et al., 1990), breastfeeding (Colodro-Conde,Sanchez-Romera, and Ordonana, 2013), and breakfast eating patterns (Keski-Rahkonenet al., 2004) to political ideology and party affiliation (Alford, Funk, and Hibbing, 2005) The genetic coding for the inheritable traits is found within the DNA of very person. The initial
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