Multivariate behavioral genetic analysis of twin data on scholastic abilities

AbstractIn previous studies we obtained evidence that variation in loneliness has a genetic component. Based on adult twin data, the heritability estimate for loneliness, which was assessed as an ordinal trait, was 48%. These analyses were done on loneliness scores averaged over items (‘I feel lonely’ and ‘Nobody loves me’) and over time points. In this article we present a longitudinal analysis of loneliness data assessed in 5 surveys (1991 through 2002) in Dutch twins (N = 8389) for the two separate items of the loneliness scale. From the longitudinal growth modeling it was found sufficient to have non-zero variance for the intercept only, while the other effects (linear, quadratic and cubic slope) had zero variance. For the item ‘I feel lonely’ we observed an increasing age trend up to age 30, followed by a decline to age 50. Heritability for individual differences in the intercept was estimated at 77%. For the item ‘Nobody loves me’ no significant trend over age was seen; the heritability of the intercept was estimated at 70%.

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Etiology of the dimensions of anxiety sensitivity: A behavioral–genetic analysis

Journal of Anxiety Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.09.005 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 899-914 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Steven Taylor ◽

Kerry L. Jang ◽

Sherry H. Stewart ◽

Murray B. Stein

Keyword(s):

Genetic Analysis ◽

Anxiety Sensitivity ◽

Behavioral Genetic

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Anger/frustration, task persistence, and conduct problems in childhood: a behavioral genetic analysis

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry ◽

10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01653.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 80-87 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Kirby Deater-Deckard ◽

Stephen A. Petrill ◽

Lee A. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Genetic Analysis ◽

Conduct Problems ◽

Task Persistence ◽

Behavioral Genetic

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A Behavioral Genetic Analysis of Alexithymia and the Dark Triad Traits of Personality

Twin Research and Human Genetics ◽

10.1017/thg.2013.19 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 690-697 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Molly Cairncross ◽

Livia Veselka ◽

Julie Aitken Schermer ◽

Philip A. Vernon

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Genetic Analysis ◽

Community Sample ◽

Dark Triad ◽

Self Report ◽

Behavioral Genetic ◽

Phenotypic Correlations ◽

American Adult ◽

The Common ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors

The present study is the first to assess phenotypic correlations between alexithymia and the Dark Triad traits of personality in a community sample, as well as the common genetic and environmental factors underlying these correlations. Participants were 232 North American adult twin pairs who completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, the MACH-IV, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Results revealed that alexithymia correlates significantly and positively with psychopathy and Machiavellianism, and negatively with narcissism. Subsequent bivariate behavioral genetic analysis demonstrated that these phenotypic correlations were primarily attributable to common genetic and common non-shared environmental factors. The implication of these findings regarding the maladaptive functions of alexithymia within the antisocial realm of behavior and the need for replication are discussed.

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Multivariate Behavioral Genetic Analysis of Parenting in Early Childhood

Parenting ◽

10.1080/15295192.2016.1184926 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 257-283 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Amanda K. Cheung ◽

K. Paige Harden ◽

Elliot M. Tucker-Drob

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Genetic Analysis ◽

Behavioral Genetic

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Liking for name predicts happiness: A behavioral genetic analysis

Personality and Individual Differences ◽

10.1016/j.paid.2014.05.025 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 69 ◽

pp. 156-161 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yu L.L. Luo ◽

Yuanyuan Shi ◽

Huajian Cai ◽

Mingzheng Wu ◽

Hairong Song

Keyword(s):

Genetic Analysis ◽

Behavioral Genetic

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Response to early literacy instruction in the United States, Australia, and Scandinavia: A behavioral-genetic analysis

Learning and Individual Differences ◽

10.1016/j.lindif.2008.03.004 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 289-295 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Stefan Samuelsson ◽

Brian Byrne ◽

Richard K. Olson ◽

Jacqueline Hulslander ◽

Sally Wadsworth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Genetic Analysis ◽

Early Literacy ◽

Literacy Instruction ◽

The United States ◽

Behavioral Genetic ◽

Early Literacy Instruction

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Etiology of Obsessive Beliefs: A Behavioral-Genetic Analysis

Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1891/0889-8391.24.3.177 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 177-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Steven Taylor ◽

Tracie O. Afifi ◽

Murray B. Stein ◽

Gordon J. G. Asmundson ◽

Kerry L. Jang

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Genetic Analysis ◽

Emotional Disorders ◽

Community Sample ◽

Cognitive Models ◽

Dysfunctional Beliefs ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Cognitive Approach ◽

Behavioral Genetic ◽

Compulsive Disorder

Contemporary cognitive models of obsessive-compulsive disorder, derived from Beck’s cognitive approach to emotional disorders, emphasize the importance of particular dysfunctional beliefs in giving rise to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms. These beliefs represent three factor-analytically distinct domains: (a) The overimportance of one’s thoughts and the need to control these thoughts; (b) perfectionism and the intolerance of uncertainty; and (c) inflated personal responsibility and the overestimation of threat. The models suggest that these beliefs arise from environmental factors, such as exposure to particular forms of learning. To test this assumption, we conducted a behavioral-genetic analysis of scores on these dysfunctional beliefs from a community sample of 167 monozygotic and 140 dizygotic twin pairs. Results indicated that the beliefs are significantly heritable, with genetic factors accounting for 32% to 40% of the variance in scores. Over two-thirds of the variance in scores for the three types of beliefs was attributable to a set of genetic and environmental factors that influenced all of these beliefs. Results suggest that contemporary cognitive models require revision, because they erroneously attribute the development of OC-related dysfunctional beliefs entirely to environmental factors.

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