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Changes in heritability: Unpredictable and of limited use

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 September 2022

Stephen M. Downes Open the ORCID record for Stephen M. Downes [Opens in a new window]  and
Jonathan Michael Kaplan
Stephen M. Downes
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA s.downes@utah.edu https://philosophy.utah.edu/profile.php?unid=u0031428
Jonathan Michael Kaplan
Affiliation:
Philosophy Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA. jonathan.kaplan@oregonstate.edu https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/users/jonathan-kaplan
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Abstract

We argue that heritability estimates cannot be used to make informed judgments about the populations from which they are drawn. Furthermore, predicting changes in heritability from population changes is likely impossible, and of limited value. We add that the attempt to separate human environments into cultural and non-cultural components does not advance our understanding of the environmental multiplier effect.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e159
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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