scholarly journals Heritability of Risk-Taking in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Twin Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey P. Anokhin ◽  
Simon Golosheykin ◽  
Julia Grant ◽  
Andrew C. Heath
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Longitudinal Stability ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study ◽  
Adolescent Twins

AbstractAdolescents are prone to risk-taking behaviors leading to adverse consequences such as substance abuse, accidents, violence, and victimization. However, little is known about the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in the propensity for risk-taking. This study investigated developmental changes, longitudinal stability, and heritability of risk-taking using data from 752 adolescent twins including 169 MZ and 203 DZ pairs. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), an experimental behavioral measure of risk taking, was administered to the twins at age 12 and then re-administered to a part of this sample at age 14. Risk-taking increased with age, but individual differences showed a significant longitudinal stability. Genetic model fitting showed that at age 12, heritability of risk-taking was modest but significant in both sexes, whereas at age 14, heritability increased to 55% in males and became nonsignificant in females. The findings suggest that propensity for risk-taking as measured by BART can be a useful endophenotype for genetic studies of adolescent externalizing psychopathology, however, the utility of this measure may be limited by sex differences in heritability.

Genetic and Environmental Etiologies of Adolescent Dysfunctional Attitudes: A Twin Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Xinying Li
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Twin Study ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitude ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Adolescent Twins ◽  
Age Range

Despite the importance of dysfunctional attitudes in the development and maintenance of depression, little is known about the etiological origin of dysfunctional attitudes. The Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale for Children was administered to 674 adolescent twins derived from the Beijing Twin Study (BeTwiSt). Four hundred and thirty-nine monozygotic and 235 same-gender dizygotic twin pairs were included. Approximately 54% were females. The age range of the twins was 11–17 years. Model-fitting analyses were conducted. Biometric genetic model-fitting estimates indicated that additive genetic factors accounted for 31% (95% CI: 11%, 45%) of variance in adolescent dysfunctional attitude. The influence of shared environmental factors was small and negligible (9% [95% CI: 0%, 27%]). Non-shared environmental factors explained 60% (95% CI: 55%, 66%) of variance. Equating the estimate parameters across gender or age groups resulted in a non-significant difference of model fit, but there were trends suggesting higher heritability in females and older adolescents. Our results provide evidence for moderate heritability of dysfunctional attitudes in adolescents. Dysfunctional attitudes can be used as an endophenotype to identify risk genes for depression.

Evidence for a Heritable General Factor of Personality in Two Studies

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livia Veselka ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
K. V. Petrides ◽  
Philip Anthony Vernon
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
General Factor Of Personality ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
And Behavior

AbstractTwo studies were conducted to see whether a general factor of personality (GFP) could be extracted from different measures of personality. Using samples of twins in both studies also allowed an assessment of the extent to which genetic and/ or environmental factors contributed to individual differences in the GFPs that were found. In Study 1, principal components analysis of the Big Five personality traits in combination with four scales of mental toughness yielded a strong GFP and behavior genetic model-fitting showed that individual differences in this GFP were fully accounted for by genetic and nonshared environmental factors. In Study 2, a GFP was extracted from the Big Five traits in combination with 15 facets of emotional intelligence. Individual differences in this GFP were also fully accounted for by genetic and nonshared environmental factors. These studies add to the growing body of research demonstrating the existence of a GFP and replicate one previous report of its heritability.

Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Humor Styles: A Replication Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Vernon ◽  
Rod A. Martin ◽  
Julie Aitken Schermer ◽  
Lynn F. Cherkas ◽  
Tim D. Spector
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
North America ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Humor Styles ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Mz Twins

AbstractOne thousand and seventy three pairs of adult monozygotic (MZ) twins and 895 pairs of same sex adult dizygotic (DZ) twins from the United Kingdom (UK) completed the Humor Styles Questionnaire: a 32-item measure which assesses two positive and two negative styles of humor. MZ correlations were approximately twice as large as DZ correlations for all four humor styles, and univariate behavioral genetic model fitting indicated that individual differences in all of them can be accounted for entirely by genetic and nonshared environmental factors, with heritabilities ranging from .34 to .49. These results, while perhaps not surprising, are somewhat at odds with a previous study that we conducted in North America (Vernon et al., in press) in which genetic factors contributed significantly to individual differences in the two positive humor styles, but contributed far less to the two negative styles, variance in which was instead largely due to shared and nonshared environmental factors. We suggest that differences between North American and UK citizens in their appreciation of different kinds of humor may be responsible for the different results obtained in these two studies.

scholarly journals Brain SCALE: Brain Structure and Cognition: an Adolescent Longitudinal Twin Study into the Genetic Etiology of Individual Differences

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge L. C. van Soelen ◽  
Rachel M. Brouwer ◽  
Jiska S. Peper ◽  
Marieke van Leeuwen ◽  
Marinka M. G. Koenis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Neuropsychological Testing ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Brain Scans ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Longitudinal Twin Study ◽  
And Function

From childhood into adolescence, the child's brain undergoes considerable changes in both structure and function. Twin studies are of great value to explore to what extent genetic and environmental factors explain individual differences in brain development and cognition. In The Netherlands, we initiated a longitudinal study in which twins, their siblings and their parents are assessed at three year intervals. The participants were recruited from The Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) and at baseline consisted of 112 families, with 9-year-old twins and an older sibling. Three years later, 89 families returned for follow-up assessment. Data collection included psychometric IQ tests, a comprehensive neuropsychological testing protocol, and parental and self-ratings of behavioral and emotional problems. Physical maturation was measured through assessment of Tanner stages. Hormonal levels (cortisol, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, and estrogens) were assessed in urine and saliva. Brain scans were acquired using 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which provided volumetric measures and measures of cortical thickness. Buccal swabs were collected for DNA isolation for future candidate gene and genome-wide analysis studies. This article gives an overview of the study and the main findings. Participants will return for a third assessment when the twins are around 16 years old. Longitudinal twin-sibling studies that map brain development and cognitive function at well-defined ages aid in the understanding of genetic influences on normative brain development.

scholarly journals Genetic and Environmental Influences on Individual Differences in Sleep Duration During Adolescence

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1015-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia J. te Velde ◽  
Niels van der Aa ◽  
Dorret I. Boomsma ◽  
Eus J. W. van Someren ◽  
Eco J. C. de Geus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Age Variation ◽  
Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽  
Adolescent Twins ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Insight Into

This study assessed to what extent genetic and environmental factors contributed to individual differences in adolescent sleep duration, and whether genetic and environmental contributions to sleep duration changed throughout adolescence. A twin-family design was used to gain insight into the genetic and environmental contributions to variation in sleep duration. The study sample consisted of 6,319 adolescent twins (44% males) and 1,359 non-twin siblings (44% males) in the age range of 12 to 20 years (mean age = 16.85,SD= 1.40). The participants self-reported usual sleep duration, which was categorized as less than 8 hours per night, 8–9 hours per night, and more than 9 hours per night. Results showed that the prevalence of shorter than optimum sleep duration, that is, less than 8 hours per night, was high, with the highest prevalence rates in later adolescence. The contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in sleep duration was dependent on age. Variation in sleep duration at the age of 12 years was accounted for by genetic (boys: 34%, girls: 36%), shared environmental (boys: 28%, girls: 45%), and non-shared environmental factors (boys: 38%, girls: 19%). At the age of 20 years, the role of genetic (boys: 47%, girls: 33%) and non-shared environmental factors (boys: 53%, girls: 67%) was more pronounced. It can be concluded from the results that individual differences in sleep duration were accounted for by genetic and non-shared environmental factors throughout adolescence, whereas shared environmental factors account for a substantial part of variation during early adolescence only.

Neuroimaging of Individual Differences: A Latent Variable Modeling Perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shelly Renee Cooper ◽  
Joshua James Jackson ◽  
Deanna Barch ◽  
Todd Samuel Braver
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Individual Difference ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Latent Variable Modeling ◽  
Psychometric Theory ◽  
Human Connectome Project ◽  
Neuroimaging Data

Neuroimaging data is being increasingly utilized to address questions of individual difference. When examined with task-related fMRI (t-fMRI), individual differences are typically investigated via correlations between the BOLD activation signal at every voxel and a particular behavioral measure. This can be problematic because: 1) correlational designs require evaluation of t-fMRI psychometric properties, yet these are not well understood; and 2) bivariate correlations are severely limited in modeling the complexities of brain-behavior relationships. Analytic tools from psychometric theory such as latent variable modeling (e.g., structural equation modeling) can help simultaneously address both concerns. This review explores the advantages gained from integrating psychometric theory and methods with cognitive neuroscience for the assessment and interpretation of individual differences. The first section provides background on classic and modern psychometric theories and analytics. The second section details current approaches to t-fMRI individual difference analyses and their psychometric limitations. The last section uses data from the Human Connectome Project to provide illustrative examples of how t-fMRI individual differences research can benefit by utilizing latent variable models.

Pronoun reversals: who, when, and why?

1993 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip S. Dale ◽  
Catherine Crain-Thoreson
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Pronoun Use ◽  
Processing Resources ◽  
Unstructured Play

ABSTRACTSeventeen of a sample of 30 precocious talkers aged 1;8 produced at least one pronoun reversal (I/you) during unstructured play. This finding led to an examination of the role of cognitive and linguistic individual differences as well as contextual factors and processing complexity as determinants of pronoun reversal. Contrary to predictions derived from previous hypotheses, there were few differences between reversers and non-reversers, other than higher use of second person forms by reversers. Reversals were more likely to occur in certain contexts: semantically reversible predicates with two noun phrases, and in imitations (though the rate of imitation was lower overall in reversers). We propose that pronoun reversals commonly result from a failure to perform a deictic shift, which is especially likely when children's psycholinguistic processing resources are taxed. Children who did not produce any pronoun reversals tended to avoid pronoun use, especially second person forms. Overt reversal may thus reflect a risk-taking approach to language acquisition, which may be particularly characteristic of precocious children.

scholarly journals On the Etiology of Aesthetic Chills: a Behavioral Genetic Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Bignardi ◽  
Rebecca Chamberlain ◽  
Sofieke T Kevenaar ◽  
Zenab Tamimy ◽  
Dorret I Boomsma
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Genetic Study ◽  
Genetic Model ◽  
Physiological Factors ◽  
Somatic Marker ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Sources Of Variation ◽  
Behavioral Genetic Study

Aesthetic chills, broadly defined as a somatic marker of peak emotional-hedonic responses, are experienced by individuals across a variety of human cultures. Yet individuals vary widely in the propensity of feeling them. These individual differences have been studied in relation to demographics, personality, and neurobiological and physiological factors, but no study to date has explored the genetic etiological sources of variation. To partition genetic and environmental sources of variation in the propensity of feeling aesthetic chills, we fitted a biometrical genetic model to data from 14127 twins (from 8995 pairs), collected by the Netherlands Twin Register. Both genetic and unique environmental factors accounted for variance in aesthetic chills, with heritability estimated at .36 ([.33, .39] 95% CI). We found females more prone than males to report feeling aesthetic chills. However, a test for genotype x sex interaction did not show evidence that heritability differs between sexes. We thus show that the propensity of feeling aesthetic chills is not shaped by nurture alone, but it also reflects underlying genetic propensities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document