Intellectual Interest Mediates Gene × Socioeconomic Status Interaction on Adolescent Academic Achievement
- 30 January 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Child Development
- Vol. 83 (2), 743-757
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01721.x
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that genetic influences on cognitive ability and academic achievement are larger for children raised in higher socioeconomic status (SES) homes. However, little work has been done to document the psychosocial processes that underlie this Gene × Environment interaction. One process may involve the conversion of intellectual interest into academic achievement. Analyses of data from 777 pairs of 17‐year‐old twins indicated that Gene × SES effects on achievement scores can be accounted for by stronger influences of genes for intellectual interest on achievement at higher levels of SES. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that higher SES affords greater opportunity for children to seek out and benefit from learning experiences that are congruent with their genetically influenced intellectual interests.Keywords
This publication has 49 references indexed in Scilit:
- Emergence of a Gene × Socioeconomic Status Interaction on Infant Mental Ability Between 10 Months and 2 YearsPsychological Science, 2010
- Combining Nonlinear Biometric and Psychometric Models of Cognitive AbilitiesBehavior Genetics, 2009
- The heritability of general cognitive ability increases linearly from childhood to young adulthoodMolecular Psychiatry, 2009
- COMT Val158Met and cognition: main effects and interaction with educational attainmentGenes, Brain and Behavior, 2009
- Differentiation of cognitive abilities across the life span.Developmental Psychology, 2009
- The Effect of Assumptions About Parental Assortative Mating and Genotype–Income Correlation on Estimates of Genotype–Environment Interaction in the National Merit Twin StudyBehavior Genetics, 2008
- Parental Education Moderates Genetic Influences on Reading DisabilityPsychological Science, 2008
- Genotype by Environment Interaction in Adolescents’ Cognitive AptitudeBehavior Genetics, 2006
- Heritability of Word Recognition in Middle-Aged Men Varies as a Function of Parental EducationBehavior Genetics, 2005
- The Social Influences on the Realization of Genetic Potential for Intellectual DevelopmentSocial Forces, 2002