Children's beliefs about inherited characteristics

Results are reported on clinical interviews with 32 children on the topic of inherited characteristics. Analysis of these data indicates that children as young as seven have definite ideas about the acquisition of inherited characteristics. It also suggests that many children, even up to the age of 13, believe that environmentally induced characteristics, such as a missing finger, can be transmitted to offspring under certain circumstances. Various explanations used by the children during the interviews were recorded and categorized into four basic types. Finally the educational implications of these results are briefly discussed.