title: Genes determine stability and the environment determines change in cognitive ability during 35 years of adulthood.
abstract: Previous research has demonstrated stability of cognitive ability and marked heritability during adulthood, but questions remain about the extent to which genetic factors account for this stability. We conducted a 35-year longitudinal assessment of general cognitive ability using the Armed Forces Qualification Test administered to 7,232 male twins in early adulthood and readministered to a subset of 1,237 twins during late middle age. The proportion of variance in cognitive functioning explained by genetic factors was .49 in young adulthood and .57 in late middle age. The correlation between the two administrations was .74 with a genetic correlation of 1.0, indicating that the same genetic influences operated at both times. Genetic factors were primarily responsible for stability, and nonshared environmental factors were primarily responsible for change. The genetic factors influencing cognition may change across other eras, but the same genetic influences are operating from early adulthood to late middle age.
authors.affiliation: Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. mlyons@bu.edu
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: York
authors.forename: Carol E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Lindon J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Eaves
authors.forename: Kristen C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: K Warner
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Schaie
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Panizzon
authors.forename: Corwin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boake
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xian
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Toomey
authors.forename: Seth A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Kremen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001076:Aptitude; D003071:Cognition; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012931:Social Environment; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014427:Twins / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
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