Polygenic scores for educational attainment and related variables, such as IQ and “mathematical ability” are now readily available via direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies. Some researchers are even proposing the use of genetic tests in educational settings via “precision education,” in which individualized student education plans would be tailored to polygenic scores. The potential psychosocial impacts of polygenic scores for traits and outcomes relevant to education, however, have not been assessed. In online experiments, we asked participants to imagine hypothetical situations in which they or their classmates had recently received polygenic scores for educational attainment. Participants prompted to answer multi-choice questions as though they had received their own low-percentile score, compared to a control condition, scored significantly lower on measures of self-esteem and of self-perceived competence, academic efficacy, and educational potential. Similarly, those asked to evaluate a hypothetical classmate as though the classmate had received a low-percentile score attributed significantly lower academic efficacy and educational potential, compared to a control condition. Through possible mechanisms of stigma and self-fulfilling prophecies, our results highlight the potential psychosocial harms of exposure to low-percentile polygenic scores for educational attainment.

现在，可以通过直接面向消费者的基因检测公司获得教育程度和相关变量（例如智商和“数学能力”）的多基因评分。一些研究人员甚至建议通过“精确教育”在教育环境中使用基因测试，其中将根据多基因得分量身定制个性化的学生教育计划。但是，尚未评估多基因分数对与教育有关的性状和结果的潜在心理影响。在在线实验中，我们要求参与者想象一下假设的情况，在这种情况下，他们或他们的同学最近获得了教育程度的多基因评分。与对照组相比，参与者提示自己回答了多项选择题，就好像他们收到了自己的低百分分数一样，在自尊，自我感知能力，学术效能和教育潜力方面的得分明显较低。类似地，那些要求评估假设的同学，就好像该同学获得了较低的百分率相比，与对照组相比，其学术效能和教育潜能明显较低。通过污名和自我实现的预言的可能机制，我们的结果强调了暴露于低百分位数的多基因得分对教育成就的潜在心理伤害。那些要求对假设的同学进行评估的人，就好像该同学获得的百分率较低，与对照组相比，归因于其学术效能和教育潜力大大降低。通过污名和自我实现的预言的可能机制，我们的结果强调了暴露于低百分位数的多基因得分对教育成就的潜在心理伤害。与对照条件相比，那些要求评估一个假设的同学，就好像该同学的分数较低，归因于其学术效能和教育潜力明显较低。通过污名和自我实现的预言的可能机制，我们的结果强调了暴露于低百分位数的多基因得分对教育成就的潜在心理伤害。