Human Heredity 11th Edition by Michael Cummings

Exercise 3

Perfect pitch is the ability to identify a note when it is sounded. In a study of this behavior, perfect pitch was found to predominate in females (24 out of 35 in one group). In one group of seven families, individuals in each family had perfect pitch. In two of those families, the affected individuals included a parent and a child. In another group of three families, three or more members (up to five) of each had perfect pitch, and in all three families, two generations were involved. Given this information, what, if any, conclusions can you draw about whether this behavioral trait might be genetic? How would you test your conclusion? What further evidence would be needed to confirm your conclusion?