title: Gene-by-socioeconomic status interaction on school readiness.
abstract: In previous work with a nationally representative sample of over 1,400 monozygotic and dizygotic twins born in the US, Tucker-Drob et al. (Psychological Science, 22, 125-133, 2011) uncovered a gene × environment interaction on scores on the Bayley Short Form test of mental ability (MA) at 2 years of age-higher socioeconomic status (SES) was associated not only with higher MA, but also with larger genetic contributions to individual differences in MA. The current study examined gene × SES interactions in mathematics skill and reading skill at 4 years of age (preschool age) in the same sample of twins, and further examined whether interactions detected at 4 years could be attributed to the persistence of the interaction previously observed at 2 years. For early mathematics skill but not early reading skill, genetic influences were more pronounced at higher levels of SES. This interaction was not accounted for by the interaction observed at 2 years. These findings indicate that SES moderates the etiological influences on certain cognitive functions at multiple stages of child development.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis, University of Kansas, 1425 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. mijke@ku.edu
authors.forename: Mijke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rhemtulla
authors.forename: Elliot M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Tucker-Drob
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D011932:Reading; D012923:Social Class; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*