Genetic stability of cognitive development from childhood to adulthood.

Abstract

Genetic stability from infancy to adulthood has been proposed to account for observed parent–child resemblance in cognitive test scores in the Colorado Adoption Project. Although genetic variance increases dramatically from infancy to adulthood, results of preliminary analyses suggested that the genetic influences on cognitive ability in infancy and in adulthood may be highly correlated. To assess genetic stability more rigorously, a path model of genetic and family environmental transmission was fitted to general cognitive ability data from adoptive and nonadoptive families in which children were tested at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years of age, as well as to published twin correlations. Longitudinal genetic correlations from infancy and early childhood to adulthood were modeled explicitly, as were the effects of phenotypic assortative mating on both parent–child and twin resemblance. In general, results of the present study suggest significant and substantial genetic stability from 2, 3, and 4 years of age to adulthood. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)<br/><br/>