Abstract
The data and analyses presented by Collins in his recent paper, “The Sound of One Paw Clapping”, are shown to provide no information regarding the relative roles of genes and environment in determining human hand preference. Arguments are given which establish that Collins misinterprets the sibling-sibling correlation and fails to test its significance. The genetic component of laterality is demonstrated to be very much underestimated by an analysis based on twin data. It is proved that a single environmental factor which produces parentoffspring resemblance necessarily yields a positive correlation between siblings and that Collins' “nongenetic model for the inheritance of handedness” is a tautology.
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A reply by Dr. Collins entitled “Human Handedness and the Call to Arms: Heritable? Yes; Genetic? No” will appear in a forthcoming issue.
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Nagylaki, T., Levy, J. “The Sound of One Paw Clapping” isn't sound. Behav Genet 3, 279–292 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067605
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01067605