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Behavior genetics and randomized controlled trials: A misleading analogy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2023

Jonathan Michael Kaplan Open the ORCID record for Jonathan Michael Kaplan [Opens in a new window]  and
Kevin Andrew Bird Open the ORCID record for Kevin Andrew Bird [Opens in a new window]
Jonathan Michael Kaplan
Affiliation:
Philosophy Program, School of History, Philosophy, and Religion, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA Jonathan.Kaplan@oregonstate.edu
Kevin Andrew Bird
Affiliation:
Department of Horticulture and Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA kevinbird93@gmail.com
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Abstract

Madole & Harden argue that just as the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) represent gains in causal knowledge and are useful, despite their limitations, so too are the findings of human behavior genetics. We argue that this analogy is misleading. Unlike RCTs, the results of human behavior genetics research cannot suggest efficacious interventions, nor point toward future research.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 46 , 2023 , e193
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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