Heritability of Childhood Music Engagement and Associations with Language and Executive Function: Insights from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study

Abstract

Music engagement is a powerful, influential experience that often begins early in life. Music engagement is moderately heritable in adults (~ 41–69%), but fewer studies have examined genetic influences on childhood music engagement, including their association with language and executive functions. Here we explored genetic and environmental influences on music listening and instrument playing (including singing) in the baseline assessment of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Parents reported on their 9–10-year-old children’s music experiences (N = 11,876 children; N = 1543 from twin pairs). Both music measures were explained primarily by shared environmental influences. Instrument exposure (but not frequency of instrument engagement) was associated with language skills (r =.27) and executive functions (r =.15–0.17), and these associations with instrument engagement were stronger than those for music listening, visual art, or soccer engagement. These findings highlight the role of shared environmental influences between early music experiences, language, and executive function, during a formative time in development.