Recovering Components of Variance from Differential Ratings of Behavior and
Environment in Pairs of Relatives
Eaves LJ, Carbonneau R
Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral
Genetics, Richmond 23298-0003, USA.
eaves@hsc.vcu.edu
Dev Psychol, 34(1):125-129 (1998).
Abstract
Evidence from genetic studies underscores the importance of examining the
within-family environment and its association with genetic differences among siblings
in influencing children's development. Simulated and published data are analyzed to
illustrate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to differential ratings of
behavioral and environmental differences within families. Comparison of the mean
differential ratings within various types of pairs is not an adequate index of the
underlying genetic and environmental variance components. However, on the
assumption that differential ratings are a linear function of underlying trait differences, it
is a simple matter to recover within-family statistics that offer a more legitimate basis
for estimating genetic and environmental components of variance within families. The
assumptions and dangers underlying any analysis of differential ratings are noted.
Variance component linkage analysis