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Returns to Education: What Do Twin Studies Control?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Kevin C. Stanek ,
William G. Iacono  and
Matt McGue
Kevin C. Stanek*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
William G. Iacono
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
Matt McGue
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, United States of America
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE: Kevin C. Stanek, Department of Psychology/Elliott Hall, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

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The current article examines the assumptions of the MZ co-twin control method that has been applied in attempts to gain more accurate estimates of the returns to education by naturally ‘controlling’ for individual differences on which MZ twins are matched. The current study examined 1738 MZ and 926 DZ twins from Minnesota, including 133 pairs of MZ and 101 pairs of DZ twins discordant for university attendance. They were assessed prospectively on personality, intelligence, GPA, and academic motivation; a subset also has reported income at age 29. MZ twins discordant for university attendance differed significantly and prospectively on verbal IQ, personality traits, and GPA. While MZ co-twin control studies can provide more accurate estimates of the returns to education than analyses of single individuals, these studies do not entirely obviate the need to control for differences between university students and non-students that predate university attendance and might account for income differentials and even non-monetary outcomes.

Keywords

co-twin control methoddiscordant twinsreturns to educationincome
Type
Articles
Information
Twin Research and Human Genetics , Volume 14 , Issue 6 , December 2011 , pp. 509 - 515
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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