Question

1. Why do psychologists study twins? Why do psychologists study children who have been adopted? What can be learned from these types of studies?

Answer 1

1.

Psychologists study twins for examining the overall role of genes in the development of a trait or disorder. Comparisons between monozygotic i.e. identical twins and dizygotic i.e. the fraternal twins are done for evaluating the extent of the genetic and environmental influence on a given trait. Psychologists study children who have been adopted to study the effect of nurture i.e. the environment of any given trait in the subject. These types of studies reflect the importance of both the nature and nurture in the development of traits in case of human beings.