Large IQ Differences in Identical Twins Are Related to Education

Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago

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Genetics

Education

Intelligence

A study found that large IQ differences in identical twins are related to education, challenging previous research that suggested genetics played a larger role; the discussion highlights the complexity of the relationship between education and intelligence.

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Discussion (3 comments)

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dash2

3 months ago

1 reply

I haven't read the actual research, but as described this has the problem that maybe the IQ differences cause the educational differences. In other words, the researchers find that identical twins reared apart with different levels of education have bigger IQ differences than other identical twins reared apart. But how do we know that's not just selection? Some identical twins are (just randomly) very different in IQ. Those ones get sent to very different schools. Nothing to see.

The article mentions that the researchers gathered data on educational systems, catholic schools etc. so maybe they get round this.

tptacek

3 months ago

1 reply

They're monozygotic twins. If they have just randomly very different IQs, that's in itself an important finding.

dash2

3 months ago

Everyone understands that some monozygotic twins have very similar IQs, and some have very different IQs. This is just natural variation, and not news at all. If schools make twins have very different IQs, that's important evidence for environmental effects on IQ which may well be interesting. But the problem is that maybe causality went the other way.

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ID: 45560288Type: storyLast synced: 11/17/2025, 10:04:15 AM

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