Gene-environment correlation: The role of family environment in academic development

Author:

Malanchini Margherita1ORCID,Zhou Quan,Gidziela Agnieszka,Allegrini Andrea2ORCID,Cheesman Rosa,Wertz Jasmin,Maxwell Jessye,Plomin Robert3ORCID,Rimfeld Kaili

Affiliation:

1. Queen Mary University of London

2. University College London

3. Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London

Abstract

Abstract

Academic achievement is partly heritable and highly polygenic. However, genetic effects on academic achievement are not independent of environmental processes. We investigated whether aspects of the family environment mediated genetic effects on academic achievement across development. Our sample included 5,151 children who participated in the Twins Early Development Study, as well as their parents and teachers. Data on academic achievement and family environments (parenting, home environments, and geocoded indices of neighbourhood characteristics) were available at ages 7, 9, 12 and 16. We computed educational attainment polygenic scores (PGS), and further separated genetic effects into cognitive and noncognitive PGS. Three core findings emerged. First, aspects of the family environment, but not the wider neighbourhood context, consistently mediated the PGS effects on achievement across development –accounting for up to 34.3% of the total effect. Family characteristics mattered beyond socio-economic status. Second, family environments were more robustly linked to noncognitive PGS effects on academic achievement than cognitive PGS effects. Third, when we investigated whether environmental mediation effects could also be observed when considering differences between siblings, adjusting for family fixed effects, we found that environmental mediation was nearly exclusively observed between families. This is consistent with the proposition that family environmental contexts contribute to academic development via passive gene-environment correlation processes. Our results show how parents shape environments that foster their children’s academic development partly based on their own genetic disposition, particularly towards noncognitive skills.

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Reference70 articles.

1. Cognitive ability and education: How behavioural genetic research has advanced our knowledge and understanding of their association;Malanchini M;Neurosci Biobehav Rev,2020

2. Cutler DM, Lleras-Muney A. Education and Health: Insights from International Comparisons [Internet]. National Bureau of Economic Research; 2012 [cited 2023 Apr 22]. (Working Paper Series). Available from: https://www.nber.org/papers/w17738

3. Relationship influences on students’ academic achievement, psychological health and well-being at school;Murray-Harvey R;Educ Child Psychol,2010

4. Academic Achievement and Economic Attainment: Reexamining Associations Between Test Scores and Long-Run Earnings;Watts TW;AERA Open,2020

5. Currie J, Thomas D. Early Test Scores, Socioeconomic Status and Future Outcomes [Internet]. National Bureau of Economic Research; 1999 [cited 2023 Apr 22]. (Working Paper Series). Available from: https://www.nber.org/papers/w6943

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3