A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry Results

With more than 25 million tests sold by early 2019, direct-to-consumer genetic ancestry tests expose the public to critical issues of genetics, ancestry, and identity. This study examines how individuals understand the results of a genetic ancestry test. Twenty undergraduate students viewed and inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Piotr S. Bobkowski, John C. Watson, Olushola O. Aromona
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
Series:Genealogy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/4/2/54
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spelling doaj-980f004f7f0f4f46b5650d773687079a2020-11-25T03:00:40ZengMDPI AGGenealogy2313-57782020-04-014545410.3390/genealogy4020054A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry ResultsPiotr S. Bobkowski0John C. Watson1Olushola O. Aromona2William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 766045, USAWilliam Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 766045, USAWilliam Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 766045, USAWith more than 25 million tests sold by early 2019, direct-to-consumer genetic ancestry tests expose the public to critical issues of genetics, ancestry, and identity. This study examines how individuals understand the results of a genetic ancestry test. Twenty undergraduate students viewed and interpreted an unfamiliar individual’s ancestry results. In in-depth interviews, students indicated that the results were easy to read and understand, but that they had difficulty articulating the meaning of the ancestry groups presented in the results. Participants could not accurately paraphrase the test’s scientific explanation. Those who engaged with the scientific explanation developed doubts about the test’s credibility. There was little consensus about the legitimacy of identity claims from low-proportion ancestry groups. Some students reserved judgment while others identified specific thresholds for what ancestry proportions legitimize identity claims. Results contribute to the literature on the public’s understanding of ancestry, genetics, and data interpretation.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/4/2/54ancestrydata interpretationdirect-to-consumer genetic testsgenetic literacy
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Piotr S. Bobkowski
John C. Watson
Olushola O. Aromona
spellingShingle Piotr S. Bobkowski
John C. Watson
Olushola O. Aromona
A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry Results
Genealogy
ancestry
data interpretation
direct-to-consumer genetic tests
genetic literacy
author_facet Piotr S. Bobkowski
John C. Watson
Olushola O. Aromona
author_sort Piotr S. Bobkowski
title A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry Results
title_short A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry Results
title_full A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry Results
title_fullStr A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry Results
title_full_unstemmed A Little Bit of That from One of Your Grandparents: Interpreting Others’ Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Ancestry Results
title_sort little bit of that from one of your grandparents: interpreting others’ direct-to-consumer genetic ancestry results
publisher MDPI AG
series Genealogy
issn 2313-5778
publishDate 2020-04-01
description With more than 25 million tests sold by early 2019, direct-to-consumer genetic ancestry tests expose the public to critical issues of genetics, ancestry, and identity. This study examines how individuals understand the results of a genetic ancestry test. Twenty undergraduate students viewed and interpreted an unfamiliar individual’s ancestry results. In in-depth interviews, students indicated that the results were easy to read and understand, but that they had difficulty articulating the meaning of the ancestry groups presented in the results. Participants could not accurately paraphrase the test’s scientific explanation. Those who engaged with the scientific explanation developed doubts about the test’s credibility. There was little consensus about the legitimacy of identity claims from low-proportion ancestry groups. Some students reserved judgment while others identified specific thresholds for what ancestry proportions legitimize identity claims. Results contribute to the literature on the public’s understanding of ancestry, genetics, and data interpretation.
topic ancestry
data interpretation
direct-to-consumer genetic tests
genetic literacy
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/4/2/54
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