Dwarf Fortress > DF Dwarf Mode Discussion

On the intriguing possibility of breeding out dwarven personality defects

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Dante:
BACKGROUND
It is known that appearances and physical characteristics are now genetically inherited by a creature's offspring. The question is, does this apply to personality? Specifically, we will consider the "traits" aspect of personality, rather than preferences and nervous habits.

POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS
-> Eugenically breeding a fortress of calm, non-violent, extremely cheerful, non-overindulging dwarves, and never worrying about a tantrum spiral again.
-> Dwarves that SERVE THE OVERMIND.

HYPOTHESIS
Personality traits are passed on to children. Some random variation is to be expected, but we should see some pattern of inheritance.

RESULTS
Signs point to no.

RAW DATA
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
--- Code: ---Child 1
- anxiety                 
+ immoderation
+ vulnerability
- friendliness
+ activity level         
+ adventurousness
+ imagination
+ achievement             
- cautiousness           

Mother & father
+ anxiety
- activity level
++ excitement seeking
++ altruism
+ modest
- achievement
- cautiousness
-- self consciousness
+ self-discipline



Child 4
- assertive
- activity level
++ adventurousness
+ imagination
- intellectual curiosity
+ straightforwardness
-- orderliness

Mother & father
+ anxiety
+ depression
- gregariousness
+ adventurousness
- artistic interest
- altruism
+ excitement seeking
--- cautiousness



Child 2 [MIGRANT]
- vulnerability
- gregariousness
-- liberalism
-- trust
+ altruism
- cooperation
+ modest
+ orderliness
+++ cautiousness

Mother
- anger
- assertiveness
- trust
+ modest
- achievement
- self discipline
+ cautiousness
Father = ???



Child 3(a)
+++ depression
+ immoderation
- activity level
- adventurousness
+ straightforwardness
- altruism
-- cooperation
+ sympathy
-- self efficacy
- achievement
- self discipline

Child 3(b)
- anger
+ self consciousness
- vulnerability
++ assertiveness
++ imagination
- artistic interest
--- excitement seeking
- liberalism
+ achievement

Mother & father
--- anxiety
-- self consciousness
+ activity level
+ adventurousness
+++ artistic interest
+ cooperation
-- modesty
+ self discipline
+++ depression
+ vulnerability
- gregariousness
+ friendliness
+ cheerful
- imagination
-- excitement seeking
+ intellectual curiosity
+ dutifulness
++ cautiousness



Child 5(a) (Sakzul)
++ anxiety
++ gregariousness
+ friendliness
- artistic interest
+++ emotionality
- dutifulness
- achievement

Child 5(b) (Stakud)
-- anger
+ self consciousness
-- vulnerability
- artistic interest
- emotionality
- trust
-- altruism

Mother & father
- immoderation
- friendliness
- anger
+ depression
- self consciousness
+ trust
+ straightforwardness
- altruism



Child 6
+ anger
+ self consciousness
- vulnerability
-- cheerfulness
-- artistic interest
- emotionality
+ cooperation
- cautiousness

Mother & father
+ anxiety
+ friendliness
++ intellectual
+ liberalism
+ altruism
+ sympathy
+ orderliness
++ dutifulness
- achievement striving
++ assertiveness
- artistic interest
- emotionality
--- End code ---

METHOD
I considered only those personality traits falling outside the (~) 40%-60% centre of the bell curve.
I looked at any association between parents and children, possibility of inverse relationships, and took the average where parents' personality features cancelled out.

ANALYSIS

--- Code: ---1. Support for the hypothesis
[Examples where the parents' personalities did correlate with their childrens']
# minor correlation (parents[1 or 2] -> child[1], parents[1] -> child[2]) = 111111 = (6)
# major correlation (parents[2+] -> child[2+]) = 11 = (2)

2. Neutral or minor opposition to the hypothesis
[Examples where the parents' personalities were irrelevant to their childrens']
# no effects (parents[1] -> child[0]) = 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 = (43)
# no effects (parents[2] -> child[0]) = 111111111111 = (12)
# minor [1] quirks appearing in child = 1111111111111111111111111111 = (28)

3. Opposition to the hypothesis
[Examples where the parents' personalities inversely effected their childrens', or huge personality defects appeared or disappeared]
# major [2+] quirks appearing in child = 11111111 = (8)
# no effects (parents[3+] -> child[0]) = 11111 = (5)
# minor inverse effects on child (2 diff) = 1111111111 = (10)
# major inverse effects on kid (3 or more out) = 1111 = (4)
--- End code ---

CONCLUSION
Even considering only positive and negative correlation, we have 10 minor inverse effects versus only 6 minor positive effects, and 4 major inverse effects versus only 2 major positive effects.
A sample size of seven is obviously not sufficient for sophisticated analysis. However, finding NO pattern of correlation between parents and offspring indicates that no genetic inheritance of personality exists.

DarthCloakedDwarf:
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the new Mermaid Thread.

AngleWyrm:
@Dante, Thank you for this in-depth research project. Its too bad the results are somewhat disappointing, but results nonetheless.
-AngleWyrm

Dante:
I was going to make a longterm fortress divided into four completely isolated burrows, and breed my dwarves as far as I could into humans, elves, kobolds and goblins. But it looks like I'd only get physiological results, so that project's off the table for now. :/

smigenboger:
Did you make them adults at one and make them breed in litters?

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