RUMINATIONS ON AGING CHANGES IN MENTAL ABILITIES AND THEIR HERITABILITY - COMMENT ON FINKEL, PEDERSEN, PLOMIN, AND MCCLEARN (1998)

Authors
WIDAMAN KF
Citation
Kf. Widaman, RUMINATIONS ON AGING CHANGES IN MENTAL ABILITIES AND THEIR HERITABILITY - COMMENT ON FINKEL, PEDERSEN, PLOMIN, AND MCCLEARN (1998), Developmental psychology, 34(6), 1998, pp. 1414-1416
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology, Developmental
Journal title
Developmental psychology → ACNP
ISSN journal
00121649
Volume
34
Issue
6
Year of publication
1998
Pages
1414 - 1416
Database
ISI
SICI code
0012-1649(1998)34:6<1414:ROACIM>2.0.ZU;2-I
Abstract
The Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging is a semilongitudinal study o f the aging of mental abilities in monozygotic and dizygotic twins. In the article by D. Finkel, N. L. Pedersen, R. Plomin, and G. E. McClea rn (1998), data from 602 individuals were used to investigate developm ental changes on 14 measures of mental ability as well as changes in t he heritability of these abilities. This commentary details a number o f problems with the design and analysis of data reported by Finkel et al., problems that leave the results difficult to interpret, and then provides suggestions for more fruitful approaches for analyzing data f rom such studies in the future.