Complex sentence: The effect is believed to be caused by intergenerational transmission of values, preferences, attitudes, and religiosity, memes that are transmitted from parents to children, having long-term effects analogous to genetics.
Split into simpler sentences: The effect is believed to be conveyed by intergenerational transmission of values, preferences, attitudes and religiosity. They can thereby be described as memes that are transmitted from parents to children, having long-term effects analogous to genetics.