Top 10 Replicated Findings From Behavioral Genetics

2016/01/01 by Robert Plomin, John C. DeFries, Valerie S. Knopik +1 · 5 citations
Psychology · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Cognitive Abilities and Testing #Genetic Associations and Epidemiology #Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging

paper · doi:10.1177/1745691615617439

openalex publication_date 2016/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

In the context of current concerns about replication in psychological science, we describe 10 findings from behavioral genetic research that have replicated robustly. These are "big" findings, both in terms of effect size and potential impact on psychological science, such as linearly increasing heritability of intelligence from infancy (20%) through adulthood (60%). Four of our top 10 findings involve the environment, discoveries that could have been found only with genetically sensitive research designs. We also consider reasons specific to behavioral genetics that might explain why these findings replicate.

Citations

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• Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science
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• Why Most Published Research Findings Are False
• Three Laws of Behavior Genetics and What They Mean
• False-Positive Psychology
• Five Years of GWAS Discovery
• Childhood intelligence is heritable, highly polygenic and associated with FNBP1L
• XV.—The Correlation between Relatives on the Supposition of Mendelian Inheritance.
• Scientific Utopia

Cited by

• Publication Trends Over 55 Years of Behavioral Genetic Research
• Intellectual Precocity: What Have We Learned Since Terman?
• Correlations between social dominance orientation and political attitudes reflect common genetic underpinnings
• Behavioural genetics [wikipedia]
• DeFries–Fulker regression [wikipedia]

Related

• Publication Trends Over 55 Years of Behavioral Genetic Research
• Behavior Genetics
• Genes, behavior, and behavior genetics
• Behavioral Genetics on the Brink: A Review of Eric Turkheimer’s Understanding the Nature-Nurture Debate
• Understanding the Genetics of Intelligence