Genetic And Environmental Influences On Intelligence

• Quantitative estimates of heritability
  • Overlap of genetic and phenotypic variability (population estimates!)
  • Galton's early efforts
  • Twin studies over decades
  • Adoption studies
  • GCTA studies
  • Do genetic effects appear additive or non-additive?
  • Multivariate genetic studies (associations among abilities aka structure)
• Where are family influences?
• Assortative mating

• Environmental effects
  • Education (a separate topic)
  • Culture (changes across time and space)
  • Environmental effects on gene (expression) frequencies (inbreed depression, heterosis)
  • Nutrition and vitamins

• Gene-environment correlations (Wendy Johnson's "Elephant in the room")
• Gene-environment interactions

These papers are useful reading

1. Plomin, R., & von Stumm, S. (2018). The new genetics of intelligence. Nat Rev Genet, 19, 148-159. doi: 10.1038/nrg.2017.104
2. Plomin, R., & Deary, I. J. (2015). Genetics and intelligence differences: five special findings. Molecular Psychiatry, 20, 98-108. doi:10.1038/mp.2014.105
3. Deary, I. J., Spinath, F. M. and Bates, T. C. (2006). Genetics of intelligence. European Journal of Human Genetics, 14. 690-700. doi. pdf
4. Bates, T. C., Lewis, G. J. and Weiss, A. (2013). Childhood Socioeconomic Status Amplifies Genetic Effects on Adult Intelligence. Psychological Science, 24. 2111-2116. doi. PMID. pdf
5. Bates, T. C., Maher, B. S., Colodro-Conde, L., Medland, S. E., McAloney, K., Wright, M. J., … Gillespie, N. A. (2019). Social Competence in Parents Increases Children's Educational Attainment: Replicable Genetically-Mediated Effects of Parenting Revealed by Non-Transmitted DNA. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 22(1), 1-3. doi:10.1017/thg.2018.75
6. Bates, T. C., Maher, B. S., Medland, S. E., McAloney, K., Wright, M. J., Hansell, N. K., … Gillespie, N. A. (2018). The Nature of Nurture: Using a Virtual-Parent Design to Test Parenting Effects on Children's Educational Attainment in Genotyped Families. Twin Res Hum Genet, 21(2), 73-83. doi:10.1017/thg.2018.11