An Examination of Gene X Socioeconomic Status Interactions for Reading Achievement

• Other Authors: Soden-Hensler, Brooke (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Psychology; Neurosciences
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-5438

Reading is a critical skill that is influenced by socioeconomic factors. It is well-established that reading is influenced by genetic and environmental factors, and recent studies have suggested that genetic effects on reading may be moderated by socioeconomic factors. However, findings of such gene-environment interactions are inconsistent for reading and cognitive ability, and no known study has investigated moderating effects across the full range of reading ability in elementary-aged readers when foundational reading skills are established. The current study filled this gap in the literature by testing for moderating effects of six socioeconomic status (SES) variables on genetic and environmental influences on reading in a diverse sample of 1,709 twin pairs in third-fifth grades. Structural equation moderation models that allowed for a moderating effect of SES on the mean of reading as well as genetic and environmental variance components were fit separately for six SES variables. No significant genetic moderation was found, however, there was a pattern of moderation on shared environmental variance for four of the six SES variables. Overall, there was a trend of slightly more variance in reading in children of lower SES families and this increased variance was due to more variability in their shared environmental experiences. === A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Fall Semester, 2012. === August 7, 2012. === gene-environment interaction, reading, socioeconomic status, twin study === Includes bibliographical references. === Christopher Schatschneider, Professor Directing Dissertation; Barbara Foorman, University Representative; Jeanette Taylor, Committee Member; Richard K. Wagner, Committee Member; Carol McDonald Connor, Committee Member.