Mothers-Offspring Resemblance in Intelligence and Its Relationship to Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

Abstract:Kinship studies have shown that most cognitive ability variances are attributable to genotypic variance. Additionally, kinship correlations are generally increased when tasks that are highly g loaded are considered, a result known as the "Jensen effect". Alternatively, some studies have suggested socioeconomic status as an important factor for explaining differences in cognition. The present study investigated these premises in a sample of 141 mothers (mean age = 36.6; SD = 6.0) and their offspring (53.2% girls; mean age = 11.0; SD = 2.1). The Standard Progressive Matrices of Raven (mothers and offspring) and six other cognitive measures (offspring only) were administered. The findings suggested evidence of g heritability (Jensen effect), which is consistent with published literature on intelligence. However, kinship correlation coefficients were lower (.041 to .177) when compared to other published findings. Finally, the difference between the mother's IQ score and that of her child was influenced by SES and mother's education level.Keywords: genetic, intelligence, family study, socioeconomic status, educational status Semelhança Entre Mães e Filhos em Inteligência e sua Relação com o Nível SocioeconômicoResumo: Estudos familiares demonstram que grande parte da variância das habilidades cognitivas é atribuída à variância genotípica. Além disso, correlações de parentesco possuem, geralmente, maiores valores quando as tarefas são altamente carregadas de g, fenômeno conhecido como "efeito Jensen". No entanto, em outra linha de investigação, estudos sugerem que o nível socioeconômico é um fator importante para explicar as diferenças cognitivas. O presente estudo investigou essas premissas em uma amostra de 141 mães (idade media = 36,6; DP = 6,0) e seus filhos (53,2% meninas;idade média = 11,0; DP = 2,1). Administrou-se as Matrizes Progressivas de Raven (em mães e filhos) e seis outras medidas cognitivas (nos filhos). Os resultados sugeriram uma evidência de herdabilidade em g (efeito Jensen). No entanto, os coeficientes de correlações familiares foram menores (0,041 a 0,177) a outros comumemente publicados. Por outro lado, a diferença entre os scores de QI das mães e de seus filhos foi influenciada pelo nível socioeconômico (NSE) e pelo nível de escolaridade da mãe. No geral, advoga-se por uma interação gene x ambiente das diferenças de habilidades cognitivas dependente do contexto socio-econômico. Palavras-chave: genética, inteligência, estudo de família, nível socioeconômico, escolaridade Semejanza Entre Madres e Hijos e su Relacion con el Nivel SocioeconómicoResumen: Los estudios familiares han mostrado que gran parte de la varianza de las habilidades cognitivas es dada por la varianza genotípica. Además, las correlaciones de parentesco generalmente tienen mayor valor cuando las tareas demandan alto g, fenómeno conocido como "efecto Jensen". Sin embargo, considerando otra línea de investigación, los estudios sugieren que el nivel socioeconómico es un factor importante para explicar las diferencias cogni...

Parent-offspring resemblance for educational attainment reduces with increased social class in a global sample: evidence for the compensatory advantage hypothesis

“…Other studies of the Scarr-Rowe effect have used different behavior-genetic techniques, including adoption designs ( Loehlin et al, 2022 ), parent-offspring resemblance measures ( Nagoshi and Johnson, 2005 ; Flores-Mendoza et al, 2017 ), and molecular methods such as single nucleotide polymorphism heritabilities and polygenic scoring (PGS) ( Woodley of Menie et al, 2018 ; Rask-Andersen et al, 2021 ; Woodley of Menie et al, 2021 ; Peñaherrera-Aguirre et al, 2022 ). The results of these studies have also been mixed, with some (e.g., Woodley of Menie et al, 2018 , 2021 ; Peñaherrera-Aguirre et al, 2022 ) finding evidence for the effect in both younger and older US cohorts, some finding evidence for the effect in (younger) Brazilian cohorts ( Flores-Mendoza et al, 2017 ), some finding no evidence for the effect in (older) US cohorts ( Nagoshi and Johnson, 2005 ; Loehlin et al, 2022 ), and another finding evidence for the opposite effect in a large middle-aged UK cohort ( Rask-Andersen et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Parent-offspring resemblance cannot differentiate between genetic and environmental influences on cognitive ability ( Devlin et al, 1997 ). But, as already noted, parent-offspring resemblance has been used in previous studies of the Scarr-Rowe effect in the absence of twin or other types of familial data that would permit the direct estimation of behavior-genetic variance components (e.g., Nagoshi and Johnson, 2005 ; Flores-Mendoza et al, 2017 ). A finding of moderation involving a simple parent-offspring resemblance model must therefore be interpreted with caution, as moderation stemming from SES on additive heritability is only one pathway that can influence the degree of parent-offspring resemblance.…”