Question

Based on Chabris’ findings, would you say that genetics or environment is more important in the determination of IQ?

Answer 1

Intelligence quotient is the measure of a person's cognitive capacity. It is mathematically a score calculated as mental age divided by the person's chronological age multiplied by 100. Like other traits in an individual psychologists believed that IQ is also genetic but Chabris findings revealed that genetics has zero or small bearing on one's IQ. In all of the tests Chabris performed he only found one gene that appeared to be associated with intelligence, and it was a very small effect. But this does not mean intelligence does not have a genetic component. It means it’s a lot harder to find the particular genes, or the particular genetic variants, that influence the differences in intelligence. There could be interactions among genes, or interactions between genes and the environment. So, accoding to him both genetics and the environment play a role in determining intelligence. One important thing to note about the genetics of intelligence is that it is not controlled by a single "intelligence gene". Instead, it is the result of complex interactions between many genes.

In short if you only consider Chabris findings I would say that environment is more important in the determination of IQ.For example, if a person has tall parents, it is likely that the individual will also grow to be tall. However, the exact height the person reaches can be influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition and disease.