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Handbook of Behavior Genetics pp 15–33Cite as

Biometrical Models in Behavioral Genetics

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The main goal of this chapter is to describe the research designs and statistical methods that are in popular use in behavioral genetics (BG). We begin with a brief overview of the historical background to BG in general and twin studies in particular. Next, we describe some elementary statistics required for understanding biometrical modeling. Then follows a statistical model for genetic variation, as articulated by Fisher in his classic 1918 paper, in which additive and dominance genetic variance terms are defined. The coefficients of resemblance between relatives derived from this model are then implemented in structural equation models for the analysis of data from twins and other relatives. Overall the intent is to provide a general and extensible infrastructure for the modeling of genetically informative data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0126, USA

    Michael C. Neale

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Correspondence to Michael C. Neale .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Yong-Kyu Kim Ph.D

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Neale, M.C. (2009). Biometrical Models in Behavioral Genetics. In: Kim, YK. (eds) Handbook of Behavior Genetics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76727-7_2

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