Explain+How+Research+on+Intelligence+Helps+the+Study+of+the+Influences+of+Genetic+and+Enviornmental+Factors

Research on Intelligence such as the Minnesota Twin Study has influenced the findings of genetic and environmental factors on human behavior greatly. A standard way to measure a person's intelligence is through an IQ test, which indicates one's genetically endowed intellectual potential. Although it is not directly related to human behavior, it studies a person's intelligence traits to find out whether it is purely determined by genetically factors, environmental factors, or a combination of both. The Minnesota Twin Study conducts research on a pair of twins which have exactly the same genetic makeup as they are monozygotic twins. These twins were early separated though and therefore grew up in different environments, allowing a comparison between their IQ's and if there were major similarities, it would mean that intelligence is more genetics than the result of environmental factors. The findings indeed showed that there was a high similarity of IQ scores between the monozygotic twins raised apart and a conclusion was made that 70% of intelligence is from genetic inheritance where as 30% may be from other factors such as different environments. In conclusion, the research conducted on intelligence helps the study of influences of genetic and environmental factors since conclusions can be made from the collected data.

Another research, by Plomin and Petrill in 1997, was conducted on the changing of IQ's. It was found that the correlation between a parent and a childs IQ will change over time. This means that from the ages of 4 to 6 years, there will by about 40% of correlation between the parent and the child, in the child's early adulthood it will be 60%, where as when the child is an older adult, there is a 80% correlation of IQ with their parents. These findings can be concluded such that genetic disposition brings humans towards environments that accentuate that disposition since the heritability increases throughout the lifespan. This is also suggested by socio-economic classes since this is one of the most important environmental factors since it allows the development of intelligence. This means that poverty, not to be confused with genetic inferiority, is the key to understanding differences in intelligence.