Are Environmental Associations with Executive Function Actually Genetic? Evidence for Confounding

What is it about?

Executive function is a cognitive trait we use to control and direct our thoughts towards goals. This study examines the relationships between adolescent executive function and both maternal education and prenatal smoking, which are typically thought of as environmental influences on the trait. We use molecular genetic data to show that these relationships can be better explained by the same genes influencing each of these traits than by one causing the other through environment.

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Photo by Sangharsh Lohakare on Unsplash

Photo by Sangharsh Lohakare on Unsplash

Why is it important?

People can shape their environment in ways that are influenced by their genetic propensities. Consequentially, in any study attempting to link environment shaped by a parent to outcomes in the child, there is a risk that the association is actually caused by genes the two share. This paper provides evidence that this may indeed be happening in executive function research. It calls on researchers to be more aware of the risk of confounding due to genetics when using parent–child designs and to make use of methods that can identify such effects in future research.