Re: Better people

Timothy Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Sat, 05 Jun 1999 20:05:33 +1000

Theta 8008 noted

> I have read various articles about intelligence which favor genetics
> and others which favor environment as the larger cause for whether a person
> is intelligent or creative or not. Personally, I think that as long as
> genetics has provided you with a working brain, that the rest is pretty much
> up to you. A favorable, stimulating environment helps, but the lack of such
> can be made up for.

That is actually one of the most fascinating research findings of the 90s. you are right and that makes you wrong ;-)

The early environmental deficit appears to be ameliorated with time and exposure to more environment. Paradoxically, this leads to an increase in heritability among adults (where h^2 is around 80%) over children, in whom the narrow heritability of IQ scores is just under 50%. So ... we do make up for our environment, which means that we end up different in ways specified by our genes.

cheers,
tim