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  • Title: The etiology of science performance: decreasing heritability and increasing importance of the shared environment from 9 to 12 years of age.
    Author: Haworth CM, Dale PS, Plomin R.
    Journal: Child Dev; 2009; 80(3):662-73. PubMed ID: 19489895.
    Abstract:
    During childhood and adolescence, increases in heritability and decreases in shared environmental influences have typically been found for cognitive abilities. A sample of more than 2,500 pairs of twins from the Twins Early Development Study was used to investigate whether a similar pattern would be found for science performance from 9 to 12 years. Science performance was based on teacher-assessed U.K. National Curriculum standards. Science at 9 years showed high heritability (64%) and modest shared environmental (16%) estimates. In contrast to the expected developmental pattern, heritability was significantly lower at 12 years (47%) and shared environmental influences were significantly higher (32%). Understanding what these increasingly important shared environmental influences are could lead to interventions that encourage engagement in science throughout the lifespan.
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