Genetic Epidemiology, Translational Neurogenomics, Psychiatric Genetics and Statistical Genetics Laboratories investigate the pattern of disease in families, particularly identical and non-identical twins, to assess the relative importance of genes and environment in a variety of important health problems.
QIMR Home Page
GenEpi Home Page
About GenEpi
Publications
Contacts
Research
Staff Index
Collaborators
Software Tools
Computing Resources
Studies
Search
GenEpi Intranet
PMID
15685427
TITLE
The genetic basis of academic achievement on the Queensland Core Skills Test and its shared genetic variance with IQ.
ABSTRACT
First, this study examined genetic and environmental sources of variation in performance on a standardised test of academic achievement, the Queensland Core Skills Test (QCST) (Queensland Studies Authority, 2003a). Second, it assessed the genetic correlation among the QCST score and Verbal and Performance IQ measures using the Multidimensional Aptitude Battery (MAB), [Jackson, D. N. (1984) Multidimensional Aptitude Battery manual. Port Huron, MI:Research Psychologist Press, Inc.]. Participants were 256 monozygotic twin pairs and 326 dizygotic twin pairs aged from 15 to 18 years (mean 17 years+/-0.4 [SD]) when achievement tested, and from 15 to 22 years (mean 16 years+/-0.4 [SD]) when IQ tested. Univariate analysis indicated a heritability for the QCST of 0.72. Adjustment to this estimate due to truncate selection (downward adjustment) and positive phenotypic assortative mating (upward adjustment) suggested a heritability of 0.76 The phenotypic (0.81) and genetic (0.91) correlations between the QCST and Verbal IQ (VIQ) were significantly stronger than the phenotypic (0.57) and genetic (0.64) correlations between the QCST and Performance IQ (PIQ). The findings suggest that individual variation in QCST performance is largely due to genetic factors and that common environmental effects may be substantially accounted for by phenotypic assortative mating. Covariance between academic achievement on the QCST and psychometric IQ (particularly VIQ) is to a large extent due to common genetic influences.
DATE PUBLISHED
2005 Mar
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
received 2004/06/21
accepted 2004/09/28
pubmed 2005/02/03 09:00
medline 2005/04/15 09:00
entrez 2005/02/03 09:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Wainwright MA Wainwright Mark A MA Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia. markWa@qimr.edu.au
Wright MJ Wright Margaret J MJ
Geffen GM Geffen Gina M GM
Luciano M Luciano Michelle M
Martin NG Martin Nicholas G NG
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 35
ISSUE: 2
TITLE: Behavior genetics
ISOABBREVIATION: Behav. Genet.
YEAR: 2005
MONTH: Mar
DAY:
MEDLINEDATE:
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Print
ISSN: 0001-8244
ISSNTYPE: Print
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Behav Genet
COUNTRY: United States
ISSNLINKING: 0001-8244
NLMUNIQUEID: 0251711
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Twin Study
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
GRANTS
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
MESH HEADINGS
DESCRIPTORNAME QUALIFIERNAME
Adolescent
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Educational Status
Female
Humans
Intelligence genetics
Intelligence Tests genetics
Male genetics
Multivariate Analysis genetics
Queensland genetics
Sex Characteristics genetics
Twins, Dizygotic genetics
Twins, Monozygotic genetics
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
OTHER ID's