The genetics of specific cognitive abilities

Procopio, Francesca; Zhou, Quan; Wang, Ziye; Gidziela, Agnieska; Rimfeld, Kaili; Malanchini, Margherita; Plomin, Robert

doi:10.1016/j.intell.2022.101689

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…CHC theory became the cornerstone for the development and interpretation of most major individually administered intelligence tests ( Benson et al 2018 ; Caemmerer et al 2020 ; Daniel 1997 ; Flanagan et al 2013 ; Kaufman 2009 ; Keith and Reynolds 2010 ; McGrew and Flanagan 1998 ; Wasserman 2019 ). CHC theory also influenced research in other fields of psychology (e.g., neuropsychology; brain network research; behavioral genetics; e.g., see Barbey 2018 ; Jewsbury et al 2017 ; Procopio et al 2022 ) and other non-psychology fields (e.g., the military; Atkins intellectual disability death penalty cases; and computer science education and the internet; Schneider and McGrew 2018 ).…”

Section: Carroll’s 3s Theory Impact On Chc Theory and Intelligence Te...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Carroll’s Three-Stratum (3S) Cognitive Ability Theory at 30 Years: Impact, 3S-CHC Theory Clarification, Structural Replication, and Cognitive–Achievement Psychometric Network Analysis Extension

McGrew¹

2023

J. Intell.

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Carroll’s treatise on the structure of human cognitive abilities is a milestone in psychometric intelligence research. Thirty years later, Carroll’s work continues to influence research on intelligence theories and the development and interpretation of intelligence tests. A historical review of the relations between the 3S and CHC theories necessitates the recommendation that the theories of Cattell, Horn, and Carroll be reframed as a family of obliquely correlated CHC theories—not a single CHC theory. Next, a previously unpublished Carroll exploratory factor analysis of 46 cognitive and achievement tests is presented. A complimentary bifactor analysis is presented that reinforces Carroll’s conclusion that his 3S model more accurately represents the structure of human intelligence than two prominent alternative models. Finally, a Carroll-recommended higher-stratum psychometric network analysis (PNA) of CHC cognitive, reading, and math variables is presented. The PNA results demonstrate how PNA can complement factor analysis and serve as a framework for identifying and empirically evaluating cognitive–achievement causal relations and mechanisms (e.g., developmental cascade and investment theories), with an eye toward improved cognitive–achievement intervention research. It is believed that Carroll, given his long-standing interest in school learning, would welcome the integration of theory-driven factor and PNA research.

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Section: Carroll’s 3s Theory Impact On Chc Theory and Intelligence Te...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Carroll’s Three-Stratum (3S) Cognitive Ability Theory at 30 Years: Impact, 3S-CHC Theory Clarification, Structural Replication, and Cognitive–Achievement Psychometric Network Analysis Extension

McGrew¹

2023

J. Intell.

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“…Pathfinder can also be seen as one of the prototypes of the truly gamified general cognitive ability tests of the future; having many language versions of such tests would certainly add to this research. Moreover, Pathfinder-PL's data should be linked with biological data, as was done in the case of Pathfinder-UK, offering further validation and extension of these data (Malanchini et al, 2021;Procopio et al, 2022) and further accounting for better knowledge of the brain foundations of intelligence (Protzko & Colom, 2021). It is hoped that such studies will soon be under way on a substantial scale using Pathfinder-PL 6 .…”

Section: Directions For Future Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moving Intelligence Measurement Online: Adaptation and Validation of the Polish Version of the Pathfinder General Cognitive Ability Test

Muszyński¹,

Banasik-Jemielniak²,

Żółtak³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Online measurement is on the rise in every subdiscipline of the major social sciences, such as psychology, sociology or educational studies. This trend may stem from the numerous advantages offered by this mode of data collection, including the facts that it is cost-efficient and enables the collection of large and diversified samples quickly. However, online studies have their own requirements, and one of them is having measurement tools available that have been adapted for online assessment in terms of their design, length, and attractiveness and are as valid and reliable as their traditional counterparts. These new needs in intelligence research were recently addressed by the creation of Pathfinder, a novel online, gamified, psychometrically sound general cognitive ability (g-score) measure. In this article, we aimed to offer further validation for and proof of concept of Pathfinder by presenting the results of its first language adaptation. The results of our adaptation showed that the Polish version of Pathfinder is a reliable and valid measurement tool suited for several research conditions. They therefore supported the applicability of Pathfinder for different linguistic and cultural contexts.

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“…Our findings support the generalist genes hypothesis, which suggests that phenotypic traits are related to one another because they share a common genetic core (i.e., genes that affect one learning-related traits are largely the same genes that affect other learning-related traits; Kovas et al, 2005;Kovas & Plomin, 2006). For example, genetic correlations between mathematics performance, reading ability, and cognitive ability average .70 (e.g., Kovas et al, 2005), which illustrates the pleiotropy of learning-related traits (i.e., genetic influences are shared between or common to many correlated phenotypes, but not specific to one; Plomin & Kovas, 2005;Procopio et al, 2022). That said, genetic correlations between learning related traits do not reach 1.0, suggesting that some level of genetic specificity remains.…”

Section: Do's and Don'ts In Polygenic Score Prediction Research Of Ed...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A central aim of such research might be conducting GWAS for differentiated learning-related phenotypes, rather than 'years spent in education', such as reading ability (e.g., Eising et al, 2022) or mathematic skills (Chen et al, 2017;Harden et al, 2020), to enable pinpointing the educational support that best meets children's specific learning needs (Procopio et al, 2022).…”

Section: Safeguarding Polygenic Score Predictions In Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such GWAS would maximize the utility of polygenic scores as diagnostic tools or early warning systems for learning difficulties (Procopio et al, 2022). For example, phoneme awareness and spelling are genetically correlated with test scores in written exams but not with test scores from oral assessments, suggesting that intervening phoneme awareness and spelling will improve proficiency in writing but not necessarily in speaking or communication (Eising et al, 2022).…”

Section: Safeguarding Polygenic Score Predictions In Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Using DNA to predict Education: A Meta-Analytic Review

Wilding¹,

Wright²,

Stumm³

2023

Preprint

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Recent advances in genomics have made it possible to predict people’s differences in educational success from person-specific aggregates of DNA, so-called genome-wide polygenic scores. Here, we review the validity and strength of these DNA-based predictions for educational success across studies. We identified 18 publications that reported associations between polygenic scores, based on the summary statistics of Lee et al.’s (2018) Genome-Wide Association Study for years spent in education, and phenotypic measures of educational success, including academic tests scores, school grades, highest educational qualifications, and years spent in education. A multilevel meta-analysis with k=39 estimates from 16 independent samples (Ntotal = 398,545) yielded an estimate of ρ=.27 (95% CI from .23 to .31) between polygenic scores and educational success. A meta-regression model controlling for sample characteristics, methodological factors, and phenotype measure differences yielded an estimate of ρ=.40 (95% CI from .25 to .54), indicative of a large effect size. This association varied as a function of ancestry, with the prediction being almost thrice as strong for European ancestry than African American ancestry samples. Our findings confirm that DNA-based predictions of educational success are substantial, with a Standard Deviation (SD) increase in polygenic score being associated with a .32 score increase in high school GPA or spending 1.6 more years in full-time education. We discuss how understanding DNA-based predictions may help address students’ heterogeneity in learning abilities and improving teaching and education provisions.

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The genetics of specific cognitive abilities

Cited by 17 publications

References 31 publications

Carroll’s Three-Stratum (3S) Cognitive Ability Theory at 30 Years: Impact, 3S-CHC Theory Clarification, Structural Replication, and Cognitive–Achievement Psychometric Network Analysis Extension

Carroll’s Three-Stratum (3S) Cognitive Ability Theory at 30 Years: Impact, 3S-CHC Theory Clarification, Structural Replication, and Cognitive–Achievement Psychometric Network Analysis Extension

Moving Intelligence Measurement Online: Adaptation and Validation of the Polish Version of the Pathfinder General Cognitive Ability Test

Using DNA to predict Education: A Meta-Analytic Review

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