DEMONSTRATING THE VALIDITY OF TWIN RESEARCH IN CRIMINOLOGY
Abstract
In a recent article published in Criminology , Burt and Simons () claimed that the statistical violations of the classical twin design render heritability studies useless. Claiming quantitative genetics is “fatally flawed” and describing the results generated from these models as “preposterous,” Burt and Simons took the unprecedented step to call for abandoning heritability studies and their constituent findings. We show that their call for an “end to heritability studies” was premature, misleading, and entirely without merit. Specifically, we trace the history of behavioral genetics and show that 1) the Burt and Simons critique dates back 40 years and has been subject to a broad array of empirical investigations, 2) the violation of assumptions in twin models does not invalidate their results, and 3) Burt and Simons created a distorted and highly misleading portrait of behavioral genetics and those who use quantitative genetic approaches.
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Both types of twins tend to share much of their rearing environment at least during their formative years.
“Both types of twins tend to share much of their rearing environment at least during their formative years (Barnes et al., 2014; Conley, Rauscher, Dawes, Magnussion, & Siegal, 2013).”
From Does contact with the justice system deter or promote future delinquency? Results from a longitudinal study of British adolescent twins (2020) · cites this paper as Barnes et al., 2014
Cites
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“, 2013; Sacerdote, 2004) and twins reared apart studies (Bouchard et al., 1990; Gottfredson, 2010; Segal, 2012) have been completed previously.”
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Motz, R. T., Barnes, J. C., Caspi, A., Arseneault, L., Cullen, F. T., Houts, R., Wertz, J., & Moffitt, T. E. (2020) · Criminology · doi:10.1111/1745-9125.12236 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
“Both types of twins tend to share much of their rearing environment at least during their formative years (Barnes et al., 2014; Conley, Rauscher, Dawes, Magnussion, & Siegal, 2013).”
BackgroundSelf-citationBarnes, J. C., Liu, H., Motz, R. T., Tanksley, P. T., Kail, R., Beckley, A. L., Belsky, D. W., Domingue, B. W., Moffitt, T. E., Pratt, T. C., et al. (2019) · Aggression and Violent Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.avb.2019.07.002 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- BARNES, J. C., WRIGHT, J. P., BOUTWELL, B. B., SCHWARTZ, J. A., CONNOLLY, E. J., NEDELEC, J. L., & BEAVER, K. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Cincinnati (US)
- King Abdulaziz University (SA)
- Saint Louis University (PH)
- University of Nebraska at Omaha (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Florida State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- BARNES, J. C.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Criminology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-09-30
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 588-626
- ISSN
- 0011-1384 (ISSN-L)
- 1745-9125
- OpenAlex
- W1558862533
- Cited by
- 192
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 16.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Criminology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- twin studies, heritability, quantitative genetics, behavioral genetics, statistical assumptions
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