Question at position 14 Which of the following observations provides the BEST evidence that intelligence test scores are influenced by environment? The intelligence scores of children are positively correlated with those of their parents.Identical twins are more similar in their intelligence scores than are fraternal twins.Identical twins reared apart are less similar in their intelligence scores than identical twins reared together.The intelligence scores of siblings reared together are positively correlated.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle this question, I’ll lay out what each option claims and then evaluate what each implies about environment and intelligence.
Option 1: 'The intelligence scores of children are positively correlated with those of their parents.' This suggests a relationship between parent and child scores, which could reflect heredity, environment, or both. It alone does not separate genetic influence from environmental influence, so it is not the strongest evidence for environmental impact.
Option 2: 'Identical twins are more similar in their intelligence scores than are fraternal twins.' This points to genetic influence, since identical twins share more genetic material than fraternal twins. While informative about heredity, it does not isolate environmental contribution and thus is not best evidence of environmental effects.
Option 3: 'Identical twins reared apart are less similar in their intelligence scores than identical twins reared together.' This comparison directly contrasts the two scenarios: same genetics but different environments (reared apart) versus same genetics and same environment (reared together). If environment plays a substantial role, the similarity should be higher when reared together. The observed greater similarity in twins raised together versus apart is strong evidence that environmental factors influence intelligence.
Option 4: 'The intelligence scores of siblings reared together are positively correlated.' This indicates a link between siblings’ environments and outcomes, but siblings share both genetics (to some extent) and environment. Since siblings are not as genetically alike as identical twins, this evidence is weaker for environmental influence specifically, and it could still reflect genetic similarity.
In terms of identifying the BEST evidence for environmental influence, the key comparison is between identical twins raised apart versus together, because it cleanly juxtaposes identical genetics against different environmental contexts. Other options either emphasize genetic factors more than environmental ones or fail to isolate environmental effects as clearly.
Therefore, the standout choice is the statement describing that identical twins reared apart are less similar in their intelligence scores than identical twins reared together, since it most directly demonstrates the role of environment in shaping intelligence while holding genetics constant.

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