Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample.
A well-known hypothesis in the behavioral genetic literature predicts that the heritability of cognitive abilities is higher in the presence of higher socioeconomic contexts. However, studies suggest that the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the heritability of cognitive ability may not be un...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2018-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5940208?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818585611628445696 |
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| author | Marion Spengler Juliana Gottschling Elisabeth Hahn Elliot M Tucker-Drob Claudia Harzer Frank M Spinath |
| author_facet | Marion Spengler Juliana Gottschling Elisabeth Hahn Elliot M Tucker-Drob Claudia Harzer Frank M Spinath |
| author_sort | Marion Spengler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A well-known hypothesis in the behavioral genetic literature predicts that the heritability of cognitive abilities is higher in the presence of higher socioeconomic contexts. However, studies suggest that the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the heritability of cognitive ability may not be universal, as it has mostly been demonstrated in the United States, but not in other Western nations. In the present study we tested whether the importance of genetic and environmental effects on cognitive abilities varies as a function of parental education in a German twin sample. Cognitive ability scores (general, verbal, and nonverbal) were obtained on 531 German twin pairs (192 monozygotic, 339 dizygotic, ranging from 7 to 14 years of age; Mage = 10.25, SD = 1.83). Data on parental education were available from mothers and fathers. Results for general cognitive ability and nonverbal ability indicated no significant gene x parental education interaction effect. For verbal ability, a significant nonshared environment (E) x parental education interaction was found in the direction of greater nonshared environmental influences on verbal abilities among children raised by more educated parents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T08:39:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d7f751733144801bd7820ff4f5bfe12 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T08:39:49Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d7f751733144801bd7820ff4f5bfe122022-12-21T22:37:42ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032018-01-01135e019659710.1371/journal.pone.0196597Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample.Marion SpenglerJuliana GottschlingElisabeth HahnElliot M Tucker-DrobClaudia HarzerFrank M SpinathA well-known hypothesis in the behavioral genetic literature predicts that the heritability of cognitive abilities is higher in the presence of higher socioeconomic contexts. However, studies suggest that the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the heritability of cognitive ability may not be universal, as it has mostly been demonstrated in the United States, but not in other Western nations. In the present study we tested whether the importance of genetic and environmental effects on cognitive abilities varies as a function of parental education in a German twin sample. Cognitive ability scores (general, verbal, and nonverbal) were obtained on 531 German twin pairs (192 monozygotic, 339 dizygotic, ranging from 7 to 14 years of age; Mage = 10.25, SD = 1.83). Data on parental education were available from mothers and fathers. Results for general cognitive ability and nonverbal ability indicated no significant gene x parental education interaction effect. For verbal ability, a significant nonshared environment (E) x parental education interaction was found in the direction of greater nonshared environmental influences on verbal abilities among children raised by more educated parents.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5940208?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Marion Spengler Juliana Gottschling Elisabeth Hahn Elliot M Tucker-Drob Claudia Harzer Frank M Spinath Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample. PLoS ONE |
| title | Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample. |
| title_full | Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample. |
| title_fullStr | Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample. |
| title_short | Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample. |
| title_sort | does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education evidence from a german twin sample |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5940208?pdf=render |
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