Abstract
Using the genetical analysis of covariance structure it is shown that the single factor model of Plomin and DeFries [(1979).Behav. Genet. 9:505–517] fails as a description of the structure of genetic covariation between the subtests of the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. A genetic group factor which loads on Vocabulary, Social Studies, and English greatly improves the fit of the model. There is also a large portion of genetic variance specific to Mathematics and it is argued that the genetic variance for different abilities is far from homogeneous in its origin. The data suggest that a single dimension of mate selection or cultural inheritance accounts for a significant part of the phenotypic covariance between measures.
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Martin, N.G., Jardine, R. & Eaves, L.J. Is there only one set of genes for different abilities? A reanalysis of the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) data. Behav Genet 14, 355–370 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01080047
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01080047