Research has shown that a person's height is about 81 percent heritable, whereas his or her BMI is about 59 percent heritable. Which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of these findings?
A) The variability we see in a population's height is more influenced by genetic factors than the variability we see in the population's weight.
B) Environmental factors account for only 19 percent of a person's height and 41 percent of a person's BMI.
C) We cannot make any conclusions about genetic contributions to either height or weight.
D) Knowing the relative genetic contributions to traits such as height or weight does not allow us to compare these two unrelated characteristics of people.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most accurate interpretation of these findings is that the variability we see in a population's height is more influenced by genetic factors than the variability we see in the population's weight. This is because the heritability estimate for height is 81%, compared to 59% for BMI. This means that genetic factors explain a larger portion of the variation in height than in BMI.

Research Has Shown That a Person's Height Is About 81