Genetic transmission of reading ability

Swagerman, Suzanne C.; Bergen, Elsje van; Dolan, Conor V.; Geus, Eco J. C. de; Koenis, Marinka M.G.; Pol, Hilleke E. Hulshoff; Boomsma, Dorret I.

doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2015.07.008

Cited by 53 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Direct evidence on the ratio of genetic and cultural transmission comes from two independent studies employing different designs: a U.S. adoption study (Wadsworth, Corley, Hewitt, Plomin, & DeFries, 2002) and a Dutch twin-family study (Swagerman et al, 2015). Resemblance between parents and adopted children can only come about through cultural transmission.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wadsworth and colleagues () reported for reading accuracy in a U.S. sample an assortative mating of .26, and Swagerman et al. () reported for reading fluency in a Dutch sample an assortative mating of .38. Furthermore, where there is significant assortative mating, offspring of a dyslexic parent may be particularly vulnerable because parents cannot compensate for each other's poor reading skills (Swagerman et al., ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Why Are Home Literacy Environment and Children's Reading Skills Associated? What Parental Skills Reveal

Bergen

Zuijen²,

Bishop

et al. 2016

Reading Research Quarterly

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202

152

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Associations between home literacy environment and children's reading ability are often assumed to reflect a direct influence. However, heritability could account for the association between parent and child literacy‐related measures. We used data from 101 mother/father/child triads to consider the extent to which associations between home literacy and children's reading fluency could be accounted for by parental reading fluency. Although home literacy correlated significantly with children's reading, no variable predicted significant variance after allowing for parental reading, except the number of books in the home. By incorporating measures of heritable parental traits into studies investigating home environment effects, we can start to identify which variables are correlates of parental traits and which might play a causal role in fostering children's development.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Are Home Literacy Environment and Children's Reading Skills Associated? What Parental Skills Reveal

Bergen

Zuijen²,

Bishop

et al. 2016

Reading Research Quarterly

Self Cite

202

152

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Children who will develop reading difficulties show a wide range of language and literacy‐related problems years before they enter school (e.g., Elbro, Borstrøm & Petersen, ; Gallagher, Frith & Snowling, ; Scarborough, ; Torppa, Lyytinen, Erskine, Eklund & Lyytinen, ). Furthermore, there is strong evidence that reading difficulties run in families, and family risk is mainly attributable to genetic factors (e.g., Hallgren, ; Olson & Byrne, ; Swagerman et al, in press). Therefore, gender difference in reading is likely explained by different cognitive vulnerabilities, as suggested by Quinn and Wagner ().…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Why do boys and girls perform differently on PISA Reading in Finland? The effects of reading fluency, achievement behaviour, leisure reading and homework activity

Torppa

Eklund

Sulkunen

et al. 2017

Journal Research in Reading

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The present study examined gender gap in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Reading and mediators of the gender gap in a Finnish sample (n = 1,309). We examined whether the gender gap in PISA Reading performance can be understood via the effects of reading fluency, achievement behaviour (mastery orientation and task-avoidant behaviour) or the amount of time spent with leisure reading and homework. Girls outperformed boys in all measures except for achievement behaviour. The models explaining PISA Reading were not different: For boys and girls, reading fluency, mastery orientation, leisure book reading and homework explained the variance in PISA Reading scores. The gender effect on PISA Reading was, however, for the most part mediated by differences in reading fluency. These findings suggest that while mastery orientation, homework activity and leisure book reading are concurrent predictors of PISA Reading over and above reading fluency, they do not explain gender difference.Gender differences in favour of girls in reading have raised concern over the last few decades. Girls' advantages in reading, spelling and writing have been reported in many

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“…2). Readers should note that the classic twin model is predicated on testable assumptions such as equal environments across zygosity (Kendler et al 1993) and assortative mating (Swagerman et al 2017). Other aspects of the models, like all models, depend on appropriate modelling to avoid mis-allocating variance (Keller and Coventry 2005; Turkheimer and Waldron 2000).…”

Section: The Present Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Physical and Cultural Inheritance Enhance Agency, but What are the Origins of this Concern to Establish a Legacy? A Nationally-Representative Twin Study of Erikson’s Concept of Generativity

2019

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Generativity—showing concern to establish and guide future generations—has been argued to be a biological adaptation central to cumulative culture and survival, but also, in turn, to be a cultural adaptation dependent on norms. From the perspective of human agency, concern for the future has played a key role in raising agency for generations that follow by creating infrastructure and cultural inheritance. Here, in a population-representative sample of 756 twin-pairs, we present the first test of the genetic and environmental structure of generativity using the Loyola Generativity Scale (short). Genetic analysis of scale sum-scores revealed that shared environmental effects were comparable in magnitude or exceeded effects estimated for genetic differences (A = 0.30 CI95 [− 0.01, 0.61], C = 0.41 [0.25, 0.56], E = 0.86 [0.79, 0.93]). At the item level, a well-fitting genetically-informed model suggested 3 factors influencing generativity via a common-pathway structure. The first was tentatively characterized as reflecting a heritable general concern for the future. The second reflected being a valued source of advice and assistance. The third factor showed only unique environment effects and had as its strongest indicator having had a good influence on the lives of others. Replicability of this structure should be tested in the full version of the scale. Work is needed also to validate influences of generativity on vocations such as teaching and on philanthropic activity improving life for subsequent generations.

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Genetic transmission of reading ability

Cited by 53 publications

References 49 publications

Why Are Home Literacy Environment and Children's Reading Skills Associated? What Parental Skills Reveal

Why Are Home Literacy Environment and Children's Reading Skills Associated? What Parental Skills Reveal

Why do boys and girls perform differently on PISA Reading in Finland? The effects of reading fluency, achievement behaviour, leisure reading and homework activity

Physical and Cultural Inheritance Enhance Agency, but What are the Origins of this Concern to Establish a Legacy? A Nationally-Representative Twin Study of Erikson’s Concept of Generativity

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