Which concept describes the proportion of variation among individuals that is due to genetic differences, acknowledging it can vary with environmental context?

• A. Heritability
• B. Crystallized intelligence
• C. Stereotype threat
• D. Cognition

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is heritability: it describes the proportion of variation in a trait across individuals that can be attributed to genetic differences. It’s a population-level statistic, not a statement about any one person, and it can shift depending on the environment. If environments are very similar, genetic differences may account for a larger share of the observed differences; if environments are more varied, environmental differences contribute more, and the heritability estimate goes down. This nuance matters because heritability doesn’t say a trait is fixed by genes in every case, nor does it measure how much a trait is determined in an individual.

The other options don’t fit this specific concept. Crystallized intelligence is about knowledge and skills gained from experience and education, not the genetic contribution to variation. Stereotype threat is a social-psychological effect that can impact performance, not a genetic-variation measure. Cognition is the broad set of mental processes, not a metric for genetic influence on trait variation.