[HN Gopher] Genetics, not shared envs, drives parent-child simil...
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       Genetics, not shared envs, drives parent-child similarities in
       intelligence
        
       Author : amichail
       Score  : 30 points
       Date   : 2025-01-16 17:06 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.psypost.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.psypost.org)
        
       | IshKebab wrote:
       | Honestly after having had children I was surprised that nature vs
       | nurture was even a debate. Genetics is very obviously the biggest
       | factor in their behaviour.
        
         | EliRivers wrote:
         | I suspect (but cannot prove) that if two children were swapped
         | at birth and placed in a completely different culture on the
         | other side of the world, their behaviour would be very
         | different and would match that culture far more than that of
         | their genetic parents' culture.
        
           | DangitBobby wrote:
           | They don't behave much like a particular "culture" when they
           | are very young, though, do they?
        
             | Vampiero wrote:
             | They have natural inclinations and their experiences and
             | core memories during early life will form the seed of their
             | personality. Their interactions with their parents will
             | shape their interactions with others (and not all parents
             | treat their children equally). Early trauma will stunt
             | their mental development both in subtle and not so subtle
             | ways.
             | 
             | As they grow older their instinctual inclinations are
             | tempered by cultural and social norms and by whatever
             | reinforcement style the parents and teachers employed. Even
             | entertainment like cartoons and the internet constantly
             | impart cultural lessons upon them.
             | 
             | They are constantly being told what is right and what is
             | wrong, what is good and what is bad. Even though they might
             | not necessarily feel like they agree with it. And that is
             | what shapes their morals, which in turn shape their
             | behavior, which in turn shapes their growth, which
             | ultimately shapes their intelligence.
             | 
             | If they developed some behavioral or mental issues, they
             | will learn coping and masking mechanisms to compensate. If
             | they were rewarded for something they were naturally
             | proficient at, they will learn to excel at it.
             | 
             | So I don't see how it's so easy to settle what is obviously
             | not even a debate. Both nature and nurture are important in
             | varying amounts at different points in time because the
             | world is complex.
             | 
             | As for intelligence, it's not surprising to me that some
             | people are just born smarter than others and that this
             | trait carries over genetically. It's how intelligence
             | evolved in the first place. But with persistence and a
             | positive environment it's possible to overcome many unfair
             | setbacks in life (and vice-versa).
        
         | ozten wrote:
         | I guess the question is if your parents and your grand-parents
         | formed opinions based on sample size N of 1.
        
         | robertlagrant wrote:
         | It's not a debate. Everything's nature except for things
         | changed by nurture (or abuse), which is everything as well, but
         | to a greater or lesser extent.
        
           | kristianp wrote:
           | So everythings nature except stuff that's nurture? You're
           | kinda hedging your bets there.
        
       | angrysaki wrote:
       | "The model assumes that people directly choose partners based on
       | their observed cognitive ability, but in reality, partner
       | selection might happen indirectly through other related
       | characteristics or through more complex patterns,"
       | 
       | Seems like a pretty wild assumption to make. Maybe they need that
       | to simplify their model, but still...
        
         | scotty79 wrote:
         | Seems pretty reasonable. The mechanism might be more complex
         | but the result is similar.
        
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       (page generated 2025-01-16 23:01 UTC)