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The Genetics of Success: How Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Educational Attainment Relate to Life-Course Development.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Belsky, DW; Moffitt, TE; Corcoran, DL; Domingue, B; Harrington, H; Hogan, S; Houts, R; Ramrakha, S; Sugden, K; Williams, BS; Poulton, R; Caspi, A
Published in: Psychological science
July 2016

A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) of more than 100,000 individuals identified molecular-genetic predictors of educational attainment. We undertook in-depth life-course investigation of the polygenic score derived from this GWAS using the four-decade Dunedin Study (N = 918). There were five main findings. First, polygenic scores predicted adult economic outcomes even after accounting for educational attainments. Second, genes and environments were correlated: Children with higher polygenic scores were born into better-off homes. Third, children's polygenic scores predicted their adult outcomes even when analyses accounted for their social-class origins; social-mobility analysis showed that children with higher polygenic scores were more upwardly mobile than children with lower scores. Fourth, polygenic scores predicted behavior across the life course, from early acquisition of speech and reading skills through geographic mobility and mate choice and on to financial planning for retirement. Fifth, polygenic-score associations were mediated by psychological characteristics, including intelligence, self-control, and interpersonal skill. Effect sizes were small. Factors connecting DNA sequence with life outcomes may provide targets for interventions to promote population-wide positive development.

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Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

July 2016

Volume

27

Issue

7

Start / End Page

957 / 972

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Class
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • New Zealand
  • Multifactorial Inheritance
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Intelligence
  • Humans
  • Human Development
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
 

Citation

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Belsky, D. W., Moffitt, T. E., Corcoran, D. L., Domingue, B., Harrington, H., Hogan, S., … Caspi, A. (2016). The Genetics of Success: How Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Educational Attainment Relate to Life-Course Development. Psychological Science, 27(7), 957–972. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616643070
Belsky, Daniel W., Terrie E. Moffitt, David L. Corcoran, Benjamin Domingue, HonaLee Harrington, Sean Hogan, Renate Houts, et al. “The Genetics of Success: How Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Educational Attainment Relate to Life-Course Development.Psychological Science 27, no. 7 (July 2016): 957–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616643070.
Belsky DW, Moffitt TE, Corcoran DL, Domingue B, Harrington H, Hogan S, et al. The Genetics of Success: How Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Educational Attainment Relate to Life-Course Development. Psychological science. 2016 Jul;27(7):957–72.
Belsky, Daniel W., et al. “The Genetics of Success: How Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Educational Attainment Relate to Life-Course Development.Psychological Science, vol. 27, no. 7, July 2016, pp. 957–72. Epmc, doi:10.1177/0956797616643070.
Belsky DW, Moffitt TE, Corcoran DL, Domingue B, Harrington H, Hogan S, Houts R, Ramrakha S, Sugden K, Williams BS, Poulton R, Caspi A. The Genetics of Success: How Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated With Educational Attainment Relate to Life-Course Development. Psychological science. 2016 Jul;27(7):957–972.
Journal cover image

Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

July 2016

Volume

27

Issue

7

Start / End Page

957 / 972

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Class
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • New Zealand
  • Multifactorial Inheritance
  • Male
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Intelligence
  • Humans
  • Human Development
  • Genome-Wide Association Study