Abstract Prior research shows that individuals with higher cognitive ability tend to be more patient and less risk-averse, while childhood environments also exert a strong influence on the development of these preferences. This raises the question of whether associations between cognition and economic preferences are consistent across early-life contexts. I test this using incentivized experimental (N= N = 624) and survey (N= N = 5, 881; 11, 521 person-wave observations) measures of risk and time preferences, detailed indicators of childhood environments, and a polygenic score for educational attainment—capturing genetic variances associated with cognitive and non-cognitive traits relevant to educational success. I find that genetic variance related to educational success is associated with lower risk aversion and greater patience, but only among individuals raised in more advantaged childhood environments. Among those who experienced childhood adversity, this genetic variance instead predicts greater risk aversion, and its association with patience is substantially attenuated. These patterns suggest that early adversity may canalize, constrain, or redirect the developmental expression of cognitive-relevant genetic variances in ways that are adaptive to context. Causal research is needed to ascertain if such environmentally contingent expression of genetic variances can reinforce patterns of social immobility.
Chris Dawson (Wed,) studied this question.