Question: Explain the concept of regression to the mean between generations.
Regression to the mean between generations is a statistical concept that suggests that extreme traits in parents—whether exceptionally high or low—tend to move closer to the average in their children over time. This happens because traits, such as height, intelligence, or athletic ability, are influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
For example:
- If two very tall parents have children, those children may be tall but, on average, slightly closer to the overall population’s average height.
- Likewise, if two parents score exceptionally high on intelligence tests, their children may still be intelligent but often regress slightly toward the population mean.
This phenomenon occurs due to the natural variability in inherited genetic factors and environmental influences, preventing extreme traits from becoming more exaggerated in future generations. It explains why outliers in one generation don’t necessarily produce even more extreme outliers in the next.
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