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Genetics Dominate Environmental Influences on Self-Control in Children

19 points by mkempe 9y ago

loorinm 9y ago
I'm sorry but the title itself is fundamentally illogical and scientifically invalid. I haven't clicked the link so maybe it's just a bad title... Environmental factors can never truly be accounted for or dismissed, and we will never have a fully controlled study of people to where we can separate nature and nurture.
- Arbalest 9y ago
  It has not been dismissed. That's the trap of headline reporting. The study is suggesting influences between 50 and 75% genetic, after what looks like they remove common environmental influences. The common influences thing is mentioned specifically as a point of differentiation with other studies. They also state the following: >While the present study has used a large population-based sample of Dutch twin youth (van Beijsterveldt et al. 2013), we recommend caution in generalizing our findings to other countries. An important next step therefore would be to replicate our findings in different populations. Given their acknowledgment of common environmental influences, this is somewhat expected.
Arbalest 9y ago
These kinds of findings worry me. Given that self-control is such a major determinant in a persons quality of life, research coming out and suggesting this is not so easily taught, is bad news for the population at large. It is good news for anyone who uses a genetic basis to justify segregation, which is also bad for the population at large. Especially if it is then used to justify preconceived notions of racial difference, even though the study is probably quite a homogeneous racial sample and therefore would be a false link to make. None the less, this is still an area that needs research, no research should be prevented on ideological grounds. Yes this could be used to brand or label people, but it can also be used to determine children more likely to need help at an early age. We may yet have more studies come along which discredit this, or strengthen it. Given this is apparently new methodology, that is especially needed.

19 points by mkempe 9y ago

I'm sorry but the title itself is fundamentally illogical and scientifically invalid. I haven't clicked the link so maybe it's just a bad title... Environmental factors can never truly be accounted for or dismissed, and we will never have a fully controlled study of people to where we can separate nature and nurture.

Arbalest 9y ago
It has not been dismissed. That's the trap of headline reporting. The study is suggesting influences between 50 and 75% genetic, after what looks like they remove common environmental influences. The common influences thing is mentioned specifically as a point of differentiation with other studies. They also state the following: >While the present study has used a large population-based sample of Dutch twin youth (van Beijsterveldt et al. 2013), we recommend caution in generalizing our findings to other countries. An important next step therefore would be to replicate our findings in different populations. Given their acknowledgment of common environmental influences, this is somewhat expected.

Arbalest 9y ago

These kinds of findings worry me. Given that self-control is such a major determinant in a persons quality of life, research coming out and suggesting this is not so easily taught, is bad news for the population at large. It is good news for anyone who uses a genetic basis to justify segregation, which is also bad for the population at large. Especially if it is then used to justify preconceived notions of racial difference, even though the study is probably quite a homogeneous racial sample and therefore would be a false link to make. None the less, this is still an area that needs research, no research should be prevented on ideological grounds. Yes this could be used to brand or label people, but it can also be used to determine children more likely to need help at an early age. We may yet have more studies come along which discredit this, or strengthen it. Given this is apparently new methodology, that is especially needed.