GenebySocioeconomic Status Interaction on School

Authors: Mijke Rhemtulla Elliot M TuckerDrob

Publish Date: 2012/02/15

Volume: 42, Issue: 4, Pages: 549-558

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Abstract

In previous work with a nationally representative sample of over 1400 monozygotic and dizygotic twins born in the US TuckerDrob et al Psychological Science 22 125–133 2011 uncovered a gene × environment interaction on scores on the Bayley Short Form test of mental ability MA at 2 years of age—higher socioeconomic status SES was associated not only with higher MA but also with larger genetic contributions to individual differences in MA The current study examined gene × SES interactions in mathematics skill and reading skill at 4 years of age preschool age in the same sample of twins and further examined whether interactions detected at 4 years could be attributed to the persistence of the interaction previously observed at 2 years For early mathematics skill but not early reading skill genetic influences were more pronounced at higher levels of SES This interaction was not accounted for by the interaction observed at 2 years These findings indicate that SES moderates the etiological influences on certain cognitive functions at multiple stages of child developmentPreparation of this article was supported by National Institutes of Health grant R21 HD069772 to E M TuckerDrob and a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship to M Rhemtulla EMTD is a faculty research associate at the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin which is supported by National Institutes of Health center grant R24 HD042849 The analyses presented here use data from the ECLSB data file which was provided by the US Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics

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