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Cited by 343Cognitive Abilities and TestingIntergenerational and Educational Inequality StudiesGenetic Associations and Epidemiology

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Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Children's Intelligence (IQ): In a UK-Representative Sample SES Moderates the Environmental, Not Genetic, Effect on IQ

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Hanscombe, Ken B., Trzaskowski, Maciej, Haworth, Claire M. A., Davis, Oliver S. P., Dale, Philip S., Plomin, Robert·2012·PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0030320PMC PMC3270016
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: The environment can moderate the effect of genes - a phenomenon called gene-environment (GxE) interaction. Several studies have found that socioeconomic status (SES) modifies the heritability of children's intelligence. Among low-SES families, genetic factors have been reported to explain less of the variance in intelligence; the reverse is found for high-SES families. The evidence however is inconsistent. Other studies have reported an effect in the opposite direction (higher heritability in lower SES), or no moderation of the genetic effect on intelligence. METHODS: Using 8716 twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), we attempted to replicate the reported moderating effect of SES on children's intelligence at ages 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12 and 14: i.e., lower heritability in lower-SES families. We used a twin model that allowed for a main effect of SES on intelligence, as well as a moderating effect of SES on the genetic and environmental components of intelligence. RESULTS: We found greater variance in intelligence in low-SES families, but minimal evidence of GxE interaction across the eight ages. A power calculation indicated that a sample size of about 5000 twin pairs is required to detect moderation of the genetic component of intelligence as small as 0.25, with about 80% power - a difference of 11% to 53% in heritability, in low- (-2 standard deviations, SD) and high-SES (+2 SD) families. With samples at each age of about this size, the present study found no moderation of the genetic effect on intelligence. However, we found the greater variance in low-SES families is due to moderation of the environmental effect - an environment-environment interaction. CONCLUSIONS: In a UK-representative sample, the genetic effect on intelligence is similar in low- and high-SES families. Children's shared experiences appear to explain the greater variation in intelligence in lower SES.

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  • Other studies have failed to replicate the G × SES finding, including the largest sample to date.

    “Other studies, however, have failed to replicate the finding (Bartels, van Beijsterveldt, & Boomsma, 2009; Kremen et al., 2005; Soden-Hensler, 2012; van der Sluis, Willemsen, de Geus, Boomsma, & Posthuma, 2008), including the largest sample to date (Hanscombe et al., 2012).”

    From Large Cross-National Differences in Gene × Socioeconomic Status Interaction on Intelligence (2016) · cites this paper as Hanscombe et al., 2012

    The Discussion reports that this large UK-representative study did not replicate the predicted genetic interaction between SES and children's IQ. The Methods (Participants) report 8,716 twin pairs, but the passages in our copy do not establish that it was the largest sample to date. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Metadata

Authors
Hanscombe, K. B., Trzaskowski, M., Haworth, C. M. A., Davis, O. S. P., Dale, P. S., & Plomin, R.
Affiliations
  • King's College London (GB)
  • European Bioinformatics Institute (GB)
  • University of New Mexico (US)
Corresponding author
Hanscombe, Ken B.
ORCID
Venue
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2012-02-01
Volume
7
Issue
2
Pages
e30320
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0030320
PMC
PMC3270016
OpenAlex
W2049023055
Cited by
343
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 35 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 7
FWCI
19.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (WT088984)
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Medical Research Council (G0500079)
  • Economic and Social Research Council
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD046167, R01HD044454)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
Keywords
socioeconomic status, intelligence, heritability, gene-environment interaction, children, shared environment, Twins Early Development Study
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Analysis of Variance, Child, Child, Preschool, Educational Status, Environment, United Kingdom, Humans, Infant, Intelligence, Middle Aged, Occupations, Social Class, Young Adult, Gene-Environment Interaction

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