scholarly journals An investigation of Social Class Inequalities in General Cognitive Ability in Two British Birth Cohorts

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roxanne Connelly ◽  
Vernon Gayle
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Ability Test ◽  
British Cohort Study ◽  
Nationally Representative

The ‘Flynn effect’ describes the substantial and long-standing increase in average cognitive ability test scores, which has been observed in numerous psychological studies. Flynn makes an appeal for researchers to move beyond psychology’s standard disciplinary boundaries and to consider sociological contexts, in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of cognitive inequalities. In this article we respond to this appeal and investigate social class inequalities in general cognitive ability test scores over time. We analyse data from the National Child Development Study (1958) and the British Cohort Study (1970). These two British birth cohorts are suitable nationally representative large-scale data resources for studying inequalities in general cognitive ability.We observe a large parental social class effect, net of parental education and gender in both cohorts. The overall finding is that large social class divisions in cognitive ability can be observed when children are still at primary school, and similar patterns are observed in each cohort. Notably, pupils with fathers at the lower end of the class structure are at a distinct disadvantage. This is a disturbing finding and it is especially important because cognitive ability is known to influence individuals later in the lifecourse.

Range shrinkage of cognitive ability test scores in applicant pools

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas W. B. Lang ◽  
Martin Kersting ◽  
Ute R. Hulsheger
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Ability Test

scholarly journals Identifying Nootropic Drug Targets via Large-Scale Cognitive GWAS and Transcriptomics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Lam ◽  
Chen Chia-Yen ◽  
Xia Yan ◽  
W. David Hill ◽  
Joey W. Trampush ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Gene Identification ◽  
Summary Statistics ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Nootropic Drug ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Meta Analyses

AbstractBackgroundCognitive traits demonstrate significant genetic correlations with many psychiatric disorders and other health-related traits. Many neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders are marked by cognitive deficits. Therefore, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of general cognitive ability might suggest potential targets for nootropic drug repurposing. Our previous effort to identify “druggable genes” (i.e., GWAS-identified genes that produce proteins targeted by known small molecules) was modestly powered due to the small cognitive GWAS sample available at the time. Since then, two large cognitive GWAS meta-analyses have reported 148 and 205 genome-wide significant loci, respectively. Additionally, large-scale gene expression databases, derived from post-mortem human brain, have recently been made available for GWAS annotation. Here, we 1) reconcile results from these two cognitive GWAS meta-analyses to further enhance power for locus discovery; 2) employ several complementary transcriptomic methods to identify genes in these loci with variants that are credibly associated with cognition; and 3) further annotate the resulting genes to identify “druggable” targets.MethodsGWAS summary statistics were harmonized and jointly analysed using Multi-Trait Analysis of GWAS [MTAG], which is optimized for handling sample overlaps. Downstream gene identification was carried out using MAGMA, S-PrediXcan/S-TissueXcan Transcriptomic Wide Analysis, and eQTL mapping, as well as more recently developed methods that integrate GWAS and eQTL data via Summary-statistics Mendelian Randomization [SMR] and linkage methods [HEIDI], Available brain-specific eQTL databases included GTEXv7, BrainEAC, CommonMind, ROSMAP, and PsychENCODE. Intersecting credible genes were then annotated against multiple chemoinformatic databases [DGIdb, KI, and a published review on “druggability”].ResultsUsing our meta-analytic data set (N = 373,617) we identified 241 independent cognition-associated loci (29 novel), and 76 genes were identified by 2 or more methods of gene identification. 26 genes were associated with general cognitive ability via SMR, 16 genes via STissueXcan/S-PrediXcan, 47 genes via eQTL mapping, and 68 genes via MAGMA pathway analysis. The use of the HEIDI test permitted the exclusion of candidate genes that may have been artifactually associated to cognition due to linkage, rather than direct causal or indirect pleiotropic effects. Actin and chromatin binding gene sets were identified as novel pathways that could be targeted via drug repurposing. Leveraging on our various transcriptome and pathway analyses, as well as available chemoinformatic databases, we identified 16 putative genes that may suggest drug targets with nootropic properties.DiscussionResults converged on several categories of significant drug targets, including serotonergic and glutamatergic genes, voltage-gated ion channel genes, carbonic anhydrase genes, and phosphodiesterase genes. The current results represent the first efforts to apply a multi-method approach to integrate gene expression and SNP level data to identify credible actionable genes for general cognitive ability.

Fathers of children conceived using ART have higher cognitive ability scores than fathers of naturally conceived children

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1461-1468
Author(s):  
Bernt Bratsberg ◽  
Ole Rogeberg ◽  
Vegard Skirbekk
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Research Council ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Paternal Age ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Male Birth ◽  
Ability Test ◽  
Military Conscription

Abstract STUDY QUESTION Does paternal cognitive ability differ for children conceived with and without assisted reproductive technology (ART)? SUMMARY ANSWER Young fathers of ART conceived children tend to score cognitively below their same-age natural conception (NC) counterparts and older (above 35) fathers of ART conceived children tend to score above. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Cognitive ability is a genetically and socially transmitted trait, and If ART and NC children have parents with different levels of this trait, then this would in itself predict systematic differences in child cognitive outcomes. Research comparing cognitive outcomes of children with different modes of conception finds conflicting results, and studies may be influenced by selection and confounding. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a population-based study based on Norwegian data, combining information from the Medical Birth Registry (births through 2012), military conscription tests (birth cohorts 1955–1977) and the population registry. These data allow us to compare the cognitive ability scores of men registered as the father of an ART-conceived child to the cognitive abilities of other fathers and to average scores in the paternal birth cohorts. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTINGS, METHODS The population level study included 18 566 births after ART (5810 after ICSI, 12 756 after IVF), and 1 048 138 NC births. It included all Norwegian men who received a cognitive ability score after attending military conscription between 1973 and 1995. This constituted 614 827 men (89.4% of the male birth cohorts involved). An additional 77 650 unscored males were included in sensitivity analyses. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Paternal cognitive level was assessed using intelligence quotients (IQ) converted from stanine scores on a three-part cognitive ability test with items measuring numeracy, vocabulary and abstract thought (Raven-like matrices). ART fathers averaged 1.95 IQ points above the average of their own birth cohort (P-value < 0.0005) and 1.83 IQ points above NC fathers in their own birth cohort (P < 0.0005). Comparisons of the IQ of ART fathers to those of NC fathers of similar age and whose children were born in the same year, however, found average scores to be more similar (point estimate 0.24, P = 0.023). These low average differences were found to differ substantially by age of fatherhood, with young ART fathers scoring below their NC counterparts and older ART fathers scoring above their NC counterparts. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION We do not have information on maternal cognition. We also lack information on unsuccessful infertility treatments that did not result in a live birth. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Paternal cognitive ability of ART children differs from that of NC children, and this difference varies systematically with paternal age at child birth. Selection effects into ART may help explain differences between ART and NC children and need to be adequately controlled for when assessing causal effects of ART treatment on child outcomes. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This research has also been supported by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence funding scheme, project number 262700 (Centre for Fertility and Health). It has also been supported by the Research Council of Norway’s Project 236992 (Egalitarianism under pressure? New perspectives on inequality and social cohesion). There are no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A

scholarly journals Measuring Goal Setting in School-Aged Children: Studying the Effects of Demographic Variables in Regression-Based Norms

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-110
Author(s):  
A. Toornstra ◽  
P. P. M. Hurks ◽  
W. Van der Elst ◽  
K. Massar ◽  
G. Kok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Goal Setting ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Ability Test ◽  
Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test ◽  
Nonverbal Ability

Abstract The aim of the study was to establish demographically representative norms for tasks measuring goal setting, and more specifically planning and reasoning in children. Three tasks were administered to n = 195 Ukrainian children aged 5.10 to 14.5 years old: the Spatial Working Memory (SWM), the Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) test, and the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT). Main outcome per test was accuracy: i.e., the total number correct for the SOC and NNAT, and the total amount of incorrect responses for the SWM. Correlations among accuracy measures varied from − 0.51 to 0.60, indicating these tasks measure related but at the same time unique constructs. Higher age was associated with more accurate test performances on all outcome measures. On the NNAT, we found a curvilinear association between age and accuracy, indicating that younger children’s NNAT accuracy scores increased more with age compared with older children. We found a cubic age effect on accuracy for the SWM and SOC: i.e., test scores were relatively stable at younger and older ages, with a curvilinear increase in test scores in the other age groups. Demographically corrected norms were calculated and presented per test. These indicated that sex was not associated with accuracy scores on any of the tests. Last, a higher level of parental education (LPE) was associated with higher accuracy scores, but only on the NNAT. We conclude that demographic variables in norm analyses enhance insight in the scores and allow for application in clinical settings and research.

Housing Pathways and Stratification: Some Evidence from a British National Survey

1984 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Sullivan ◽  
M. J. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Housing Pathways ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

AbstractFive principles determining movement in the housing market relating to tenure, social class and fertility status were suggested by Payne and Payne (1977) on the basis of a small-scale study in Aberdeen. Analysis of a large-scale nationally-representative survey containing full housing and maternity histories suggests that some of these principles require modification at the national level. For example, movement into and between tenures, although heavily influenced by demographic and socio-economic factors, is not as rigid as the Aberdeen study suggested. The interaction of social class, age at marriage and childbearing patterns is assessed. Finally, changes over time in these relationships and the long-term effects on final family size and tenure are discussed.

scholarly journals The total burden of rare, non-synonymous exome genetic variants is not associated with childhood or late-life cognitive ability

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1781) ◽  
pp. 20140117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo E. Marioni ◽  
Lars Penke ◽  
Gail Davies ◽  
Jennifer E. Huffman ◽  
Caroline Hayward ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Multiple Testing ◽  
Rare Variants ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Late Life ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Total Burden ◽  
Gain Loss

Human cognitive ability shows consistent, positive associations with fitness components across the life-course. Underlying genetic variation should therefore be depleted by selection, which is not observed. Genetic variation in general cognitive ability (intelligence) could be maintained by a mutation–selection balance, with rare variants contributing to its genetic architecture. This study examines the association between the total number of rare stop-gain/loss, splice and missense exonic variants and cognitive ability in childhood and old age in the same individuals. Exome array data were obtained in the Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 and 1936 (combined N = 1596). General cognitive ability was assessed at age 11 years and in late life (79 and 70 years, respectively) and was modelled against the total number of stop-gain/loss, splice, and missense exonic variants, with minor allele frequency less than or equal to 0.01, using linear regression adjusted for age and sex. In both cohorts and in both the childhood and late-life models, there were no significant associations between rare variant burden in the exome and cognitive ability that survived correction for multiple testing. Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, we observed no evidence for an association between the total number of rare exonic variants and either childhood cognitive ability or late-life cognitive ability.

The relationship between hand preference, hand performance, and general cognitive ability

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-592 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL E.R. NICHOLLS ◽  
HEIDI L. CHAPMAN ◽  
TOBIAS LOETSCHER ◽  
GINA M. GRIMSHAW
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hand Preference ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Preference Data ◽  
Hand Performance ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe idea that handedness indicates something about a person’s cognitive ability and personality is a perennial issue. A variety of models have been put forward to explain this relationship and predict a range of outcomes from higher levels of cognitive ability in left-handers or moderate right-handers to lower levels of achievement in left- or mixed-handers. We tested these models using a sample (n = 895) drawn from the BRAINnet database (www.brainnet.net). Participants completed a general cognitive ability (GCA) scale and a test of hand preference/performance. Moderate right-handers, as indexed by their performance measures, had higher GCA scores compared with strong left- or right-handers. The performance measure also showed lower levels of GCA for left-handers compared with right-handers. The hand preference data showed little or no association with cognitive ability—perhaps because this measure clusters individuals toward the extremes of the handedness distribution. While adding support to Annett’s heterozygous advantage model, which predicts a cognitive disadvantage for strong left- or right-handers, the data also confirm recent research showing a GCA disadvantage for left-handers. Although this study demonstrates that handedness is related to cognitive ability, the effects are subtle and might only be identified in large-scale studies with sensitive measures of hand performance. (JINS, 2010, 16, 585–592.)

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