In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the following topics:
- How Robert became interested in genetics
- The importance of going “with the grain” of your nature
- Robert’s twin studies methodology
- How genotypes become phenotypes
- How kids select their environments in ways that correlate with their genetic inclinations
- The genetic influence on television viewing
- How virtually everything is moderately heritable
- The effects of extreme trauma on the brain
- The developmental trajectory of heritability
- How the abnormal is normal
- How we could use polygenic information to inform educational interventions
- The potential for misuse of genetic information to select children for particular educational tracks
- Recent research on shared environmental influences on educational achievement
- The “nature of nurture”
- The variability of heritability across different cultures and levels of SES
- The role of education on intelligence
- How teachers can and cannot make a difference
- The genetics of social class mobility
- Free will and how we can change our destiny
Further Reading
Fifty years of twin studies: A meta-analysis of the heritability of human traits
The nature of nurture: effects of parental genotypes
Variation in the heritability of educational attainment: An international meta-analysis
Genetic analysis of social-class mobility in five longitudinal studies
Large cross-national differences in gene x socioeconomic status interaction on intelligence
How much does education improve intelligence? A meta-analysis
Are cognitive g and academic gone and the same g?
A systematic review of personality trait change through intervention
How scientists are learning to predict your future with your genes
Using nature to understand nurture
What makes us who we are?
Can ‘genius’ be detected in infancy?
A brief history of everyone who ever lived
The gardner and the carpenter: What the new science of child development tells us about the relationship between parents and children
