INCREASED HERITABILITY FOR LOWER IQ LEVELS

Detterman et al. (1990) presented evidence based on twins that the heritability of IQ may be higher in the lower part of the IQ range. We first offer an alternative test for differential heritability across the IQ range, based on the analysis of absolute intrapair differences of monozygotic versus dizygotic twins. We then review two previous studies, each containing more twins than the sample of Detterman et al., which examined the distribution of intrapair absolute differences. In contrast to the study of Detterman et al., both yielded results more compatible with higher heritability in the upper range of IQ. We discuss various interpretations of these findings and show how our proposed test might aid in distinguishing among them.