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Most Reported Genetic Associations with General Intelligence Are Probably False Positives

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  • Beauchamp, Jonathan P.
  • Christakis, Nicholas Alexander
  • Hauser, Robert M.
  • Laibson, David I.
  • Benjamin, Daniel J.
  • Johannesson, Magnus
  • Atwood, Craig S.
  • Freese, Jeremy
  • Hauser, Taissa S.
  • Chabris, Christopher F.
  • Hebert, Benjamin Michael
  • van der Loos, Matthijs J. H. M.
  • Magnusson, Patrik K. E.
  • Lichtenstein, Paul
  • Cesarini, David

Abstract

General intelligence (g) and virtually all other behavioral traits are heritable. Associations between g and specific single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in several candidate genes involved in brain function have been reported. We sought to replicate published associations between g and 12 specific genetic variants (in the genes DTNBP1, CTSD, DRD2, ANKK1, CHRM2, SSADH, COMT, BDNF, CHRNA4, DISC1, APOE, and SNAP25) using data sets from three independent, well-characterized longitudinal studies with samples of 5,571, 1,759, and 2,441 individuals. Of 32 independent tests across all three data sets, only 1 was nominally significant. By contrast, power analyses showed that we should have expected 10 to 15 significant associations, given reasonable assumptions for genotype effect sizes. For positive controls, we confirmed accepted genetic associations for Alzheimer’s disease and body mass index, and we used SNP-based calculations of genetic relatedness to replicate previous estimates that about half of the variance in g is accounted for by common genetic variation among individuals. We conclude that the molecular genetics of psychology and social science requires approaches that go beyond the examination of candidate genes.

Suggested Citation

  • Beauchamp, Jonathan P. & Christakis, Nicholas Alexander & Hauser, Robert M. & Laibson, David I. & Benjamin, Daniel J. & Johannesson, Magnus & Atwood, Craig S. & Freese, Jeremy & Hauser, Taissa S. & Ch, 2012. "Most Reported Genetic Associations with General Intelligence Are Probably False Positives," Scholarly Articles 9938142, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hrv:faseco:9938142
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    1. Bryan N Howie & Peter Donnelly & Jonathan Marchini, 2009. "A Flexible and Accurate Genotype Imputation Method for the Next Generation of Genome-Wide Association Studies," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(6), pages 1-15, June.
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    1. Hopkins, William D. & Li, Xiang & Roberts, Neil, 2019. "More intelligent chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have larger brains and increased cortical thickness," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 18-24.
    2. John Beshears & James J. Choi & David Laibson & Brigitte C. Madrian & Katherine L. Milkman, 2015. "The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Retirement Savings Decisions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 70(3), pages 1161-1201, June.
    3. Jason Collins & Boris Baer & Ernst Juerg Weber, 2016. "Evolutionary Biology in Economics: A Review," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 92(297), pages 291-312, June.
    4. Matthijs J H M van der Loos & Cornelius A Rietveld & Niina Eklund & Philipp D Koellinger & Fernando Rivadeneira & Gonçalo R Abecasis & Georgina A Ankra-Badu & Sebastian E Baumeister & Daniel J Benjami, 2013. "The Molecular Genetic Architecture of Self-Employment," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Steven F. Lehrer & Weili Ding, 2017. "Are genetic markers of interest for economic research?," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-23, December.
    6. Hilger, Kirsten & Spinath, Frank M. & Troche, Stefan & Schubert, Anna-Lena, 2022. "The biological basis of intelligence: Benchmark findings," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    7. Dalton Conley & Ramina Sotoudeh & Thomas Laidley, 2019. "Birth Weight and Development: Bias or Heterogeneity by Polygenic Risk Factors?," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 38(6), pages 811-839, December.
    8. Rita Dias Pereira & Pietro Biroli & Titus Galama & Stephanie von Hinke & Hans van Kippersluis & Cornelius A. Rietveld & Kevin Thom, 2022. "Gene-Environment Interplay in the Social Sciences," Papers 2203.02198, arXiv.org, revised Aug 2022.
    9. Chabris, C. F. & Lee, J. J. & Cesarini, D. & Benjamin, D. J. & Laibson, David I., 2015. "The Fourth Law of Behavior Genetics," Scholarly Articles 30780203, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    10. C. Justin Cook & Jason M. Fletcher, 2018. "High-school genetic diversity and later-life student outcomes: micro-level evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 307-339, September.
    11. Catherine A MacLeod & David I Donaldson, 2014. "PRKCA Polymorphism Changes the Neural Basis of Episodic Remembering in Healthy Individuals," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(5), pages 1-8, May.
    12. Erkan Goeren, 2017. "The Role of Novelty-Seeking Traits in Contemporary Knowledge Creation," Working Papers V-402-17, University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, revised Sep 2017.

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