Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2023 Sep 11:46:e232.
doi: 10.1017/S0140525X23000845.

Polygenic scores for social science: Clarification, consensus, and controversy

Callie H Burt  1
Affiliations
Comment

Polygenic scores for social science: Clarification, consensus, and controversy

Callie H Burt. Behav Brain Sci. .

Abstract

In this response, I focus on clarifying my arguments, highlighting consensus, and addressing competing views about the utility of polygenic scores (PGSs) for social science. I also discuss an assortment of expansions to my arguments and suggest alternative approaches. I conclude by reiterating the need for caution and appropriate scientific skepticism.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment on

References

    1. Bateson P (1909) Mendel’s principles of heredity. Cambridge University Press
    1. Abdellaoui A, Dolan CV, Verweij KJH, & Nivard MG (2022). Gene–environment correlations across geographic regions affect genome-wide association studies. Nature Genetics, 54(9), 1345–1354. doi:10.1038/s41588-022-01158-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Belsky DW, Domingue BW, Wedow R, Arseneault L, Boardman JD, Caspi A, … Herd P (2018). Genetic analysis of social-class mobility in five longitudinal studies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(31), E7275–E7284. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Belsky J, Steinberg L, & Draper P (1991). Childhood experience, interpersonal development, and reproductive strategy: An evolutionary theory of socialization. Child development, 62(4), 647–670. - PubMed
    1. Berg JJ, Harpak A, Sinnott-Armstrong N, Joergensen AM, Mostafavi H, Field Y, … Coop G (2019). Reduced signal for polygenic adaptation of height in UK Biobank. eLife, 8. doi:10.7554/elife.39725 - DOI - PMC - PubMed