How is this intelligence? Do we inherit or rather acquire? A study published in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility provides the answer. The results suggest that the main driver of intergenerational transmission of cognitive abilities is genetics, and that the influence of shared environmental factors, such as family resources, is surprisingly small.
Genes versus environment
Cognitive abilities have long been the subject of research due to their role in social mobility and educational achievement. We know that children often reflect the abilities of their parents, but the question is: is this a result of genetics, environment, or a combination of both?
A study by a team from the University of Bielefeld is based on data from the German TwinLife project – one of the most extensive longitudinal studies (i.e. conducted on the same people) on the influence of genes and environment on life outcomes. TwinLife analyzes pairs of identical and dizygotic twins and their families, allowing the influence of genes to be separated from the family environment.
How were cognitive abilities tested?
The study covered four age cohorts, from early childhood (5-6 years) to young adulthood (21-25 years). Cognitive abilities were measured using the Culture Fair Test 1-R (for children) and Culture Fair Test 20-R (for older age groups) that minimize the impact of cultural and educational differences.
The researchers included data not only from the twins, but also from their parents and siblings. This allowed them to better determine how traits are transmitted between generations.
Genes have the advantage
The study’s results indicate that the similarity in cognitive abilities between parents and children is mainly due to genetics. Even in the youngest age groups, where environmental influences are usually more pronounced, no significant influence of parents’ abilities on children through environmental mechanisms was observed. Instead, shared genetic factors play a key role.
Researchers also found no evidence for the so-called passive gene-environment correlations. Theoretically, parents could simultaneously pass on genes and create environments consistent with these predispositions – for example, parents with high intelligence supporting children’s intellectual development. However, the study did not show that such mechanisms had a significant effect. So it turns out that some people are a little more lucky and others a little less.
These findings challenge traditional assumptions that the family environment plays a key role in shaping cognitive abilities. However, this does not mean that parents have no influence. Unique interactions between parent and child, supporting individual interests or responding to emotional needs, can significantly influence the child’s development – although these influences are difficult to capture in traditional research models.
Read also: Our brain cannot do these two things at the same time. Why?
Or maybe not predestination?
Although genetics plays a dominant role, it does not mean that it is the only factor. Environmental factors, peer groups, extracurricular activities and random life events also play a role, although they are not directly related to the parents’ genetics. In the future, scientists want to deepen their research by analyzing more complex patterns of mate selection and specific interactions between genetic and environmental factors. This can help us better understand how to shape environments that are conducive to maximizing children’s potential.
There has been significant support for the role of genes in shaping cognitive abilities, but this does not negate the importance of the environment. Understanding these interactions can help, among other things, in education – to create learning models tailored to the abilities of specific children. As for the study itself – I think that scientists will surprise us more than once with discoveries in this matter.
Source: antyweb.pl
