From a statistical perspective, which of the following sibling pairs are best considered to have equally similar personality traits?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let's parse the question first and lay out the options to compare how closely personality traits are likely to align across different sibling configurations.
Option 1: Biological siblings raised together and adopted siblings raised together. Here, both pairs share family environment but differ in genetic relatedness. Biological siblings share about 50% of their genes, while adopted siblings share none. If personality similarity were driven primarily by genetics, this pair would not be as similar as pairs with more genetic overlap, and if environment were the dominant factor, both pairs might show similar resemblance due to the shared environment of adoption or biological upbringing. Overall, this combination mixes genetic relatedness with shared environment, making it a less precise contrast.
Option 2: Identical twins raised separately and adopted siblings raised together. Identical twins raised apart have almost identical genetic makeup, yet different environments; research shows they can be quite similar in personality despite separation, indicating a strong genetic influence. However, adopted siblings raised together share an environment but have no genetic similarity, so their personality resemblance due to environment may be present but genetic overlap is absent. The mixed configuration makes interpretation of “equally similar” traits across pairs tricky.
Option 3: Identical twins raised apart and biological siblings raised together. This pair pits near-identical genetics (identical twins) against full biological siblings with shared environment. If personality similarity were driven mainly by genetics, identical twins raised apart would still resemble each other closely, while biological siblings raised together would be less similar despite shared environment. The disparity in both genetic relatedness and environment makes it unlikely that these two subgroups would be equally similar in personality.
Option 4: Biological siblings raised together and fraternal twins raised together. In this pairing, both groups share a common upbringing, but fraternal twins (dfraternal) share about 50% of their genetic material, just like ordinary biological siblings, while biological siblings raised together share the same environment and about 50% genes. This configuration provides a natural comparison where genetic relatedness is similar between biological siblings and fraternal twins, while environment is the same for both groups. Consequently, if we are looking for which pairs are best considered to have equally similar personality traits from a statistical perspective, this option aligns genetic similarity with a comparable environmental context, making them more equivalent in expected personality correlation than the other options.
Across the options, the key issue is maintaining comparable levels of genetic relatedness and shared environment. Since identical twins (even raised apart) have higher genetic similarity than fraternal twins or biological siblings, options pairing high genetic similarity with different environments tend to produce uneven expectations of personality similarity. The pair that maintains a more consistent combination of genetic similarity (around the 50% level) and shared environment is option 4, Biological siblings raised together and fraternal twins raised together, making it the best fit for equally similar personality traits from a statistical viewpoint.
In summary, the reasoning centers on balancing genetic overlap with shared environmental influence. The other choices introduce mismatches—either in genetic relatedness or in environmental sharing—that disrupt the notion of equal similarity across these sibling groups.

PSYC 250 Spring 2025 Exam #2

From a statistical perspective, which of the following sibling pairs are best considered to have equally similar personality traits?

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