scholarly journals Genetic research on cognitive ability

2002 ◽  
Vol 180 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-186
Author(s):  
R. Plomin ◽  
I. Craig
2020 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 229-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margherita Malanchini ◽  
Kaili Rimfeld ◽  
Andrea G. Allegrini ◽  
Stuart J. Ritchie ◽  
Robert Plomin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margherita Malanchini ◽  
Kaili Rimfeld ◽  
Andrea Allegrini ◽  
Stuart James Ritchie ◽  
Robert Plomin

Cognitive ability and educational success predict positive outcomes across the lifespan, from higher earnings to better health and longevity. The shared positive outcomes associated with cognitive ability and education are emblematic of the strong interconnections between them. Part of the observed associations between cognitive ability and education, as well as their links with wealth, morbidity and mortality, are rooted in genetic variation. The current review evaluates the contribution of decades of behavioural genetic research to our knowledge and understanding of the biological and environmental basis of the association between cognitive ability and education. The evidence reviewed points to a strong genetic basis in their association, observed from middle childhood to old age, which is amplified by environmental experiences. In addition, the strong stability and heritability of educational success are not driven entirely by cognitive ability. This highlights the contribution of other educationally relevant noncognitive characteristics. Considering both cognitive and noncognitive skills as well as their biological and environmental underpinnings will be fundamental in moving towards a comprehensive, evidence-based model of education.


2001 ◽  
Vol 178 (S40) ◽  
pp. s41-s48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Plomin ◽  
Ian Craig

BackgroundMultivariate genetic research indicates that genetic effects on diverse cognitive abilities are general rather than specific or modular. General cognitive ability (g), a key factor in learning and memory, is among the most heritable behavioural traits.AimsTo give a brief overview of quantitative genetic research on g and to describe initial results from a programme of research that aims to identify genes responsible for the substantial heritability of general cognitive ability.MethodThe research uses a new technique called DNA pooling, which combines DNA from individuals within a group and makes it feasible to screen thousands of DNA markers for a systematic scan of the genome for associations between DNA markers and g. Two independent samples of children with very high g scores and two control samples of children with average g scores were compared in a systematic scan of 147 markers on chromosome 4 and 66 markers on chromosome 22.ResultsThree replicated associations on chromosome 4 were identified using DNA pooling and confirmed using individual genotyping.ConclusionsThese first results of the application of DNA pooling in systematic analysis of allelic association are encouraging.


2002 ◽  
Vol 180 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-186
Author(s):  
S. J. Pittelli

Author(s):  
Valentyn Pomohaibo ◽  
Natalia Karapuzova ◽  
Yuliia Pavlenko

The article provides an overview of the results of modern genetic studies of human cognitive abilities. Finding genetic factors, associated with cognitive abilities, will have far-reaching ramifications at all levels of understanding from DNA to brain and to behavior. Despite its complexity, cognitive ability is a reasonable candidate for molecular genetic research because it is one of the most heritable features of behavior. The first attempts to find genetic factors, associated with cognitive abilities, focused on genes, involved in brain development and function, but this direction proved to be unproductive, as it turned out that there are about 18.000 genes, and it was too difficult to detect among them those genes that are involved in cognitive processes. In addition, a considerable number of genetic factors of human traits are single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are in non-coding DNA regions rather than in traditional genes. The effect of each separate SNP is unimportant, and a clear expression of the general cognitive ability is noticeable only if all the associated SNPs are involved. Currently, over 11,000 such SNPs have been identified, which are uneven in different functional regions of the genome: over 60 % in gene introns, almost 30 % in intergenic DNA regions, about 5 % in gene exons, and about 5 % in transcribed regions (downstream, upstream) and frame regions (UTR'5, UTR'3) of genes. Also there are found 74 SNPs, associated with school achievements. These SNPs are disproportionately located in genes that regulate transcription and alternative splicing of other genes, which are expressed in nerve tissues of the brain during its prenatal development. Finding genetic factors that explain the inheritance of cognitive abilities is important for both science and society. Information about these factors can be used in other fields of human science – human genetics and medicine. It will open up new scientific horizons for education too owing to understanding of the genetic aspects of learning and memory


2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 554-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire M. A. Haworth ◽  
Nicole Harlaar ◽  
Yulia Kovas ◽  
Oliver S. P. Davis ◽  
Bonamy R. Oliver ◽  
...  

AbstractQuantitative and molecular genetic research requires large samples to provide adequate statistical power, but it is expensive to test large samples in person, especially when the participants are widely distributed geographically. Increasing access to inexpensive and fast Internet connections makes it possible to test large samples efficiently and economically online. Reliability and validity of Internet testing for cognitive ability have not been previously reported; these issues are especially pertinent for testing children. We developed Internet versions of reading, language, mathematics and general cognitive ability tests and investigated their reliability and validity for 10- and 12-year-old children. We tested online more than 2500 pairs of 10-year-old twins and compared their scores to similar internet-based measures administered online to a subsample of the children when they were 12 years old (> 759 pairs). Within 3 months of the online testing at 12 years, we administered standard paper and pencil versions of the reading and mathematics tests in person to 30 children (15 pairs of twins). Scores on Internet-based measures at 10 and 12 years correlated .63 on average across the two years, suggesting substantial stability and high reliability. Correlations of about .80 between Internet measures and in-person testing suggest excellent validity. In addition, the comparison of the internet-based measures to ratings from teachers based on criteria from the UK National Curriculum suggests good concurrent validity for these tests. We conclude that Internet testing can be reliable and valid for collecting cognitive test data on large samples even for children as young as 10 years.


1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 1126-1142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey W. Gilger

This paper is an introduction to behavioral genetics for researchers and practioners in language development and disorders. The specific aims are to illustrate some essential concepts and to show how behavioral genetic research can be applied to the language sciences. Past genetic research on language-related traits has tended to focus on simple etiology (i.e., the heritability or familiality of language skills). The current state of the art, however, suggests that great promise lies in addressing more complex questions through behavioral genetic paradigms. In terms of future goals it is suggested that: (a) more behavioral genetic work of all types should be done—including replications and expansions of preliminary studies already in print; (b) work should focus on fine-grained, theory-based phenotypes with research designs that can address complex questions in language development; and (c) work in this area should utilize a variety of samples and methods (e.g., twin and family samples, heritability and segregation analyses, linkage and association tests, etc.).


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