ERIC Number: EJ785939
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 14
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: N/A
Mathematical Ability of 10-Year-Old Boys and Girls: Genetic and Environmental Etiology of Typical and Low Performance
Kovas, Yulia; Haworth, Claire M. A.; Petrill, Stephen A.; Plomin, Robert
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v40 n6 p554-567 Nov-Dec 2007
The genetic and environmental etiologies of 3 aspects of low mathematical performance (math disability) and the full range of variability (math ability) were compared for boys and girls in a sample of 5,348 children age 10 years (members of 2,674 pairs of same-sex and opposite-sex twins) from the United Kingdom (UK). The measures, which we developed for Web-based testing, included problems from 3 domains of mathematics taught as part of the UK National Curriculum. Using quantitative genetic model-fitting analyses, similar results were found for math disabilities and abilities for all 3 measures: Moderate genetic influence and environmental influence were mainly due to nonshared environmental factors that were unique to the individual, with little influence from shared environment. No sex differences were found in the etiologies of math abilities and disabilities. We conclude that low mathematical performance is the quantitative extreme of the same genetic and environmental factors responsible for variation throughout the distribution.
Descriptors: National Curriculum, Nature Nurture Controversy, Genetics, Etiology, Foreign Countries, Environmental Influences, Mathematics Skills, Academic Ability, Low Achievement, Gender Differences, Mathematics Achievement, Twins
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A