@article {9545, title = {Social and Genetic Pathways in Multigenerational Transmission of Educational Attainment}, journal = {American Sociological Review}, volume = {83}, year = {2018}, month = {04/2018}, pages = {278-304}, abstract = {This study investigates the complex roles of the social environment and genes in the multigenerational transmission of educational attainment. Drawing on genome-wide data and educational attainment measures from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), I conduct polygenic score analyses to examine genetic confounding in the estimation of parents{\textquoteright} and grandparents{\textquoteright} influences on their children{\textquoteright}s and grandchildren{\textquoteright}s educational attainment. I also examine social genetic effects (i.e., genetic effects that operate through the social environment) in the transmission of educational attainment across three generations. Two-generation analyses produce three important findings. First, about one-fifth of the parent-child association in education reflects genetic inheritance. Second, up to half of the association between parents{\textquoteright} polygenic scores and children{\textquoteright}s education is mediated by parents{\textquoteright} education. Third, about one-third of the association between children{\textquoteright}s polygenic scores and their educational attainment is attributable to parents{\textquoteright} genotypes and education. Three-generation analyses suggest that genetic confounding on the estimate of the direct effect of grandparents{\textquoteright} education on grandchildren{\textquoteright}s education (net of parents{\textquoteright} education) may be inconsequential, and I find no evidence that grandparents{\textquoteright} genotypes significantly influence grandchildren{\textquoteright}s education through non-biological pathways. The three-generation results are suggestive, and the results may change when different samples are used.}, keywords = {Education, Genetics, Genome, Multigenerational}, issn = {0003-1224}, doi = {10.1177/0003122418759651}, author = {Hexuan Liu} }