Most people think that the question is nature versus nurture. The reality is much much complex and much more interesting.
The current issue of The Observer, a publication of the Association for Psychological Science, includes the following quiz:
- Cognitive ability in the industrialized world “is approximately 50% to 70% heritable,” reports the Tucker-Drob team. This means that
- 50% to 70% of one’s cognitive ability is attributable to one’s genes.
- 50% to 70% of the variation among individuals is attributable to their genes.
- The genetic influence on intelligence scores (heritability) is greatest
- early in life (for example, at age 3), before varied experiences diverge our life courses.
- later in life (for example, at age 50 and beyond).
- The genetic influence on intelligence scores is greatest among those
- at lower socioeconomic levels.
- at higher socioeconomic levels.
- Increasing the quality and availability of educational opportunity serves to
- decrease the genetic influence on intelligence scores.
- Increase the genetic influence on intelligence scores.
You can find the answers here. For a deeper discussion see the original paper.
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