A pair ofidentical twinswho were raised in separate country have displayed circumstantially large disparity in cognitive ability while exhibiting extremely standardised personality trait . A comparison of the monozygotic sibling ’s characteristic moult young light on the age - oldnature / bringing up disputation .
Born in Seoul , South Korea , in 1974 , the sisters became severalise at the age of two when one twin got lost at a grocery . Despite her parents ’ show on a idiot box broadcast about missing persons , the youthful girlfriend could not be reunify with her kin and cease up being adopt by a couple in the US .
Growing up stateside , the adopted counterpart was unaware that she even had any siblings until she submitted her DNA to South Korea ’s program for reuniting home members in 2018 . Two years later , she encounter tidings that she not only had an superposable twin , but an older brother and sister too .
Having been reunited , the twins then completed a serial of exam designed to appraise their intelligence , personality profiles , mental wellness , and medical chronicle . Somewhat surprisingly , effect revealed that the IQ of the twin evoke in the US was 16 point lower than that of the Korean - raised sibling .
The determination , published in the journalPersonality and Individual Differences , contradicts previous study onmonozygotic twins , which have indicated an average I.Q. difference of no more than seven points . Commenting on the unexpectedly large disconnection between the two sisters , the work authors write that “ it is fall upon that the twins showed substantial divergence in cognitive abilities that have been yoke to inviolable genetic influence . ”
Whether this discrepancy was triggered by the twins ’ dissimilar upbringings is laborious to say , although the research worker mark that the sis raised in the US had sustain three previous concussion , which may have influenced her cognitive capacity .
Continuing their judgment of the pair , the researcher go on to reveal that “ the overall configuration of the Gemini ' personality was similar , consistent with literature on moderate genetic influence on personality in adulthood . ”
“ Notable is that both twins are distinctively gamey on Conscientiousness , signal that both are purposeful , well - organized , dutiful , and accomplishment - pains . ” That these similarities hang on despite the sisters ’ contrasting life experiences and rest home surroundings is interesting , and foreground the role thatgeneticsplay in determining aperson ’s disposition .
For instance , while the similitude elevate in Korea described spring up up in a loving and proportionate mob place , the adopted sister report a harsh upbringing , colored by regular battle and the divorce of her adopted parent . Despite this , the duet had identical scores for self - esteem and highly interchangeable mental health profiles .
The duad also divvy up expression of their aesculapian histories , with both make undergone surgery to remove tumors from their ovaries . However , the Twin differed with regard to their culturally impress ideologies , with the US - raised sib demonstrating a more individualist prospect while the sister raise in Korea had more collectivist values .
Understandably , instance of twin being raised separately are rare , and more cases like this need to be studied before any firm conclusions can be drawn . Nonetheless , this discipline provides some riveting raw insights into the genetical , cultural , and environmental ingredient that influence human ontogenesis .
