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Eye Color & Assortative Mating in Scandinavian Couples
Chapter , Problem 2.2(choose chapter or problem)
Assortative mating. Assortative mating is a nonrandom mating pattern where individuals with similar genotypes and/or phenotypes mate with one another more frequently than what would be expected under a random mating pattern. Researchers studying this topic collected data on eye colors of 204 Scandinavian men and their female partners. The table below summarizes the results. For simplicity, we only include heterosexual relationships in this exercise.
(a) What is the probability that a randomly chosen male respondent or his partner has blue eyes?
(b) What is the probability that a randomly chosen male respondent with blue eyes has a partner with blue eyes?
(c) What is the probability that a randomly chosen male respondent with brown eyes has a partner with blue eyes? What about the probability of a randomly chosen male respondent with green eyes having a partner with blue eyes?
(d) Does it appear that the eye colors of male respondents and their partners are independent? Explain your reasoning.
Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
Assortative mating. Assortative mating is a nonrandom mating pattern where individuals with similar genotypes and/or phenotypes mate with one another more frequently than what would be expected under a random mating pattern. Researchers studying this topic collected data on eye colors of 204 Scandinavian men and their female partners. The table below summarizes the results. For simplicity, we only include heterosexual relationships in this exercise.
(a) What is the probability that a randomly chosen male respondent or his partner has blue eyes?
(b) What is the probability that a randomly chosen male respondent with blue eyes has a partner with blue eyes?
(c) What is the probability that a randomly chosen male respondent with brown eyes has a partner with blue eyes? What about the probability of a randomly chosen male respondent with green eyes having a partner with blue eyes?
(d) Does it appear that the eye colors of male respondents and their partners are independent? Explain your reasoning.
ANSWER:Step 1 of 4
(a)
Let the probability that a randomly chosen male respondent or his partner has blue eyes, be P(Blue). From the table we have,
Total no. of couples = 204.
Total no. of blue eyes in either male or female = 108 + 114 - 78 = 144.
\(\text { Then, } \frac{\text { Total no. of blue eyes in either male or female }}{\text { Total no. of couples }}\)
\(\begin{array}{l}
P(\text { Blue })=\frac{144}{204}=0.70588\\ \end{array}\)
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Eye Color & Assortative Mating in Scandinavian Couples
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Explore the concept of assortative mating through an eye-color study of 204 Scandinavian couples. Discover how probabilities highlight nonrandom mating patterns. Conclude if eye colors of partners are independent or reveal assortative tendencies.