The genetics of music accomplishment: Evidence for gene–environment correlation and interaction
Abstract
Theories of skilled performance that emphasize training history, such as K. Anders Ericsson and colleagues' deliberate-practice theory, have received a great deal of recent attention in both the scientific literature and the popular press. Twin studies, however, have demonstrated evidence for moderate-to-strong genetic influences on skilled performance. Focusing on musical accomplishment in a sample of over 800 pairs of twins, we found evidence for gene-environment correlation, in the form of a genetic effect on music practice. However, only about one quarter of the genetic effect on music accomplishment was explained by this genetic effect on music practice, suggesting that genetically influenced factors other than practice contribute to individual differences in music accomplishment. We also found evidence for gene-environment interaction, such that genetic effects on music accomplishment were most pronounced among those engaging in music practice, suggesting that genetic potentials for skilled performance are most fully expressed and fostered by practice.
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Hambrick and Tucker-Drob (2015) found that having engaged in some type of public music event was significantly heritable among high-school twins.
“Hambrick and Tucker-Drob (2015) examined data on twins among high-school students and found that having engaged in some type of public music event, such as at a minimum receiving a good evaluation at a music competition at the school level, was significantly heritable.”
From Deliberate Practice and Proposed Limits on the Effects of Practice on the Acquisition of Expert Performance: Why the Original Definition Matters and Recommendations for Future Research (2019) · cites this paper as Hambrick and Tucker-Drob, 2015
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The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.100.3.363 · Cited by 9,564 · cited 12× · see citing works
“Finally, genetic effects on practice could reflect personality or motivational factors (e.g., general activity level; Ericsson et al., 1993) related to the propensity to engage in sustained practice.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialMacnamara, B. N., Hambrick, D. Z., & Oswald, F. L. (2014) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797614535810 · Cited by 656 · see citing works
Self-citationDeliberate practice: Is that all it takes to become an expert?
Hambrick, D. Z., Oswald, F. L., Altmann, E. M., Meinz, E. J., Gobet, F., & Campitelli, G. (2014) · Intelligence · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2013.04.001 · Cited by 370 · cited 4× · see citing works
“…of 88 studies, Macnamara et al. (2014) found that deliberate practice accounted for well under half of the variance in performance in each of the major domains in which deliberate practice has been studied—music, games, sports, education, and professions (see also Hambrick et al., 2014).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSelf-citationGenetic and Environmental Influences on Cognition Across Development and Context
Tucker-Drob, E. M., Briley, D. A., & Harden, K. P. (2013) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0963721413485087 · Cited by 295 · see citing works
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Ericsson, K. A., & Harwell, K. W. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02396 · Cited by 370 · see citing works
The Relationship Between Deliberate Practice and Performance in Sports: A Meta-Analysis
Macnamara, B. N., Moreau, D., & Hambrick, D. Z. (2016) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691616635591 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
Self-citationWorrell, F. C., Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Dixson, D. D. (2019) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102846 · Cited by 245 · see citing works
Rethinking expertise: a multifactorial gene–environment interaction model of expert performance.
Ullén, F., Hambrick, D. Z., & Mosing, M. A. (2016) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000033 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Value of Twins for Health and Medical Research: A Third of a Century of Progress
Craig, J. M., Calais-Ferreira, L., Umstad, M. P., & Buchwald, D. (2020) · Twin Research and Human Genetics · doi:10.1017/thg.2020.4 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
The impact of domain-specific experience on chess skill: reanalysis of a key study.
Burgoyne, A. P., Nye, C. D., Macnamara, B. N., Charness, N., & Hambrick, D. Z. (2019) · The American Journal of Psychology · doi:10.5406/amerjpsyc.132.1.0027 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Hambrick, D. Z., & Tucker-Drob, E. M.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hambrick, David Z.
- ORCID
- Hambrick, David Z.
- Venue
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
- Published
- 2014-06-24
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 112-120
- ISSN
- 1069-9384 (ISSN-L)
- 1531-5320
- OpenAlex
- W1966782821
- Cited by
- 115
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 4.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24HD042849, R21HD069772)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- gene-environment correlation, gene-environment interaction, music practice, twin studies, deliberate practice
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Adult, Aptitude, Female, Humans, Male, Music, Practice, Psychological, Statistics as Topic, Twins, Gene-Environment Interaction
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