PHYSICAL CAPACITY HERITABILITY FROM PARENTS TO CHILDREN: COMPUTERISED DERMATOGLYPHICS

A multiple-case research design was chosen for this study. Four families, with two parents and two children each, and different levels of engagement in sport were analysed by means of sport digital dermatoglyphics. Aim: to confirm the genetic heritability of physical capacities from parents to children, the correlation between dermatoglyphic patterns and sport performance, as well as the effectiveness of a computerised dermatoglyphic method. Results: genetic heritability of physical capacities from parents to children was confirmed by means of computerised dermatoglyphics. In some cases, each parent inherits his potentialities to a different child, in others, both children inherited them from their mother. Furthermore, children from families with strong engagement in sport and who were closer to high performance became more successful in sport. Validity and reliability of the instrument were confirmed, its accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness for scientific research being also proved.