title: Environmental contingencies and genetic propensities: social capital, educational continuation, and dopamine receptor gene DRD2.
abstract: Studies of gene-environment interplay typically focus on one environmental factor at a time, resulting in a constrained view of social context. The concept of environmental contingency is introduced as a corrective. Drawing on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and qualitative comparative analysis, the authors focus on an example involving social capital, a gene associated with a dopamine receptor (DRD2), and educational continuation beyond secondary school. For boys, (1) DRD2 risk is associated with a decreased likelihood of school continuation; (2) one configuration of social capital -- high parental socioeconomic status, high parental involvement in school, and a high-quality school -- compensates for this negative relationship, consistent with environmental contingency; but (3) boys with DRD2 risk are less commonly observed in settings that are rich in social capital.
authors: Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3210, USA. mjshan@unc.edu
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Shanahan
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Vaisey
authors: Lance D
authors: LD
authors: Erickson
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Smolen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D044383:Black People / Q000235:genetics; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2