When the average weight of the parents is smaller than the population mean, what is the average weight of the offspring compared with their parents? Compared with the population?
A)smaller; smaller
B)greater; greater
C)greater; smaller
D)smaller; greater
E)It is not possible to determine from the information provided.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is due to a phenomenon known as regression toward the mean. When parents have a trait that is smaller (or larger) than the population average, their offspring's average trait will be closer to the population mean, making it greater than the parents' average but still smaller than the overall population average.

When the Average Weight of the Parents Is Smaller Than