Traits, factors, and genes

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Abstract
The author notes the immense complexity of psychic behavior traits in both laboratory animals and humans. He thinks it impossible to measure basic human intellectual ability by so-called "culture-free" tests, owing to the profound influences exerted by culture early in life. Using various current tests, the psychologist arrives at what are called psychological factors which are inferred from correlation coefficients. A "factor" describes the fact that certain tests intercorrelate more highly with each other than with other tests. The author attempts to find a biological meaning for these psychological factors. Two psychic traits may be correlated owing to (1) genetic linkage (i.e., presence of genes influencing trait on the same chromosome pair, if the traits are present in a non-randomly breeding population); (2) genetic pleiotropy (i.e., the traits are manifold effects of a single gene pair); (3) homog-amous matings in a human population (i.e., mating between individuals with the two traits being considered occurs by preference). The last explanation is an important cause of correlation of many psychic traits. Finally the author points out that a possible explanation of correlation between psychic traits is non-genetic; i.e., two traits not genetically related may become correlated owing to environmental pressure. The author proposes that a search be made for unit traits possessing as simple a genetic basis as possible. A study of correlations between such traits may prove valuable in analysing psychological "factors" in relation to genetics.

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