the educational attainment phenotype matt mcgue department of psychology university of minnesota...

The educational attainment phenotype

Matt McGueDepartment of Psychology

University of Minnesota

Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working GroupUniversity of Chicago

18.04.2014

FatherMother

Offspring #1

Offspring #2

Initially Assessed in Adolescence

Offspring Types:Monozygotic (MZ) TwinsDizygotic (DZ) TwinsBiological SiblingsAdopted Siblings

MCTFR: Sampling unit

The educational attainment phenotype:

• Aggregates strongly in families for environmental as well as genetic reasons

• With intergenerational mobility associated with gender, cohort and hard and soft skills

• Environmental transmission within families may not be due skill building

College graduation patterns in MTFS both typical and atypical of the US

Women Men

Parent Generation 25.4%(N=1372)

27.7%(N=1369)

Offspring Generation 50.7%(N=1283)

35.5%(N=1121)

Based on census data analyzed by Population Reference Bureauhttp://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2011/gender-gap-in-education.aspx

. . . and educational attainment aggregates strongly in families

MZ DZ Mother-Offspring

Father-Offspring

Mother-Father

Correlation .83(.78, .88)

.73(.63, .81)

.46(.40, .51)

.50(.45, .56)

.69(.63, .74)

. . . due to both genetic and shared environmental factors

Source DescriptionPercentage

variance accounted for

Additive Genetic Heritability 33%

Shared Environment Environmental factors that differ among families 39%

Non-shared Environment

Environmental factors that distinguish among relatives in the

same family17%

Gene-environment Covariance

Correlation between additive genetic and shared environmental

factors12%

Individual-level predictors of offspring academic success

Age-17 Predictor Description

HardSkill

General Cognitive Ability (GCA)

4 Weschler subtests: Vocabulary & Information Block Design & Picture Arrangement

SoftSkills

Academic Motivation (rated by parent)

Sample Items: Is motivated to earn good grades Turns in homework on time

Positive EmotionalityMPQ Primary Scales: Well Being, Social Closeness Achievement & Social Potency

Negative EmotionalityMPQ Primary Scales: Aggression, Alienation & Stress Reactivity

Control MPQ Control scale

Externalizing Sum of symptoms of: Antisocial behavior & substance abuse

All are associated with college graduation

Unadjusted OR

General Cognitive Ability

2.02(1.83, 2.22)

Academic Motivation 2.50(2.23, 2.80)

Positive Emotionality 1.42(1.29, 1.56)

Negative Emotionality 0.73(0.67, 0.80)

Control 1.83(1.67, 2.01)

Externalizing 0.54(0.50, 0.60)

Sex 1.84(1.52, 2.22)

. . . even when adjusting for all other factors

Unadjusted OR Adjusted OR

General Cognitive Ability

2.02(1.83, 2.22)

1.75(1.55, 1.97)

Academic Motivation 2.50(2.23, 2.80)

2.02(1.76, 2.01)

Positive Emotionality 1.42(1.29, 1.56)

1.21(1.08, 1.37)

Negative Emotionality 0.73(0.67, 0.80)

0.85(0.76, 0.96)

Control 1.83(1.67, 2.01)

1.22(1.07, 1.38)

Externalizing 0.54(0.50, 0.60)

0.82(0.72, 0.93)

Sex 1.84(1.52, 2.22)

1.53(1.21, 1.93)

Educational mobility in the MTFS

OffspringGender

Stability Change

Non-College College Upward Mobility

Downward Mobility

Women(N=1289) 39.3% 28.7% 22.1% 10.0%

Men (N=1117) 46.5% 20.5% 15.1% 17.9%

Intergenerational mobility associated with: cognitive ability, externalizing & control

College educated parents are more likely to have college educated offspring, in both adoptive and biological families

But adoptive parents effect doesn’t appear to be attributable to skill building

. . . but adoptive family income really helps

Conclusions

• Unlike many behavioral genetic traits, there may be strong shared environmental influences on social achievements

• Intergenerational mobility is driven by hard and soft skill differentials

• Yet the family environmental influences may more reflect opportunities created by socioeconomic advantage than skill building

Thank You!

the educational attainment phenotype matt mcgue department of psychology university of minnesota...

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