scholarly journals Genetic Correlates of Psychological Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis in Young Adult Twins in Great Britain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaili Rimfeld ◽  
Margherita Malanchini ◽  
Andrea G. Allegrini ◽  
Amy E. Packer ◽  
Andrew McMillan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Phenotypic Stability ◽  
Behavioural Changes ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Major Disruption ◽  
T1 And T2 ◽  
Adult Twins

AbstractWe investigated how the COVID-19 crisis and the extraordinary experience of lockdown affected young adults in England and Wales psychologically. One month after lockdown commenced (T2), we assessed 30 psychological and behavioural traits in more than 4000 twins in their mid-twenties and compared their responses to the same traits assessed in 2018 (T1). Mean changes from T1 to T2 were modest and inconsistent. Contrary to the hypothesis that major environmental changes related to COVID-19 would result in increased variance in psychological and behavioural traits, we found that the magnitude of individual differences did not change from T1 to T2. Twin analyses revealed that while genetic factors accounted for about half of the reliable variance at T1 and T2, they only accounted for ~ 15% of individual differences in change from T1 to T2, and that nonshared environmental factors played a major role in psychological and behavioural changes. Shared environmental influences had negligible impact on T1, T2 or T2 change. Genetic factors correlated on average .86 between T1 and T2 and accounted for over half of the phenotypic stability, as would be expected for a 2-year interval even without the major disruption of lockdown. We conclude that the first month of lockdown has not resulted in major psychological or attitudinal shifts in young adults, nor in major changes in the genetic and environmental origins of these traits. Genetic influences on the modest psychological and behavioural changes are likely to be the result of gene–environment correlation not interaction.

scholarly journals Genetic correlates of psychological responses to the COVID-19 crisis in young adult twins in Great Britain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaili Rimfeld ◽  
Margherita Malancini ◽  
Andrea Allegrini ◽  
Amy E. Packer ◽  
Andrew McMillan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Psychological Responses ◽  
Phenotypic Stability ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Negative Direction ◽  
T1 And T2 ◽  
Adult Twins

Abstract We investigated how the COVID-19 crisis and the extraordinary experience of lockdown affected young adults in England and Wales psychologically. One month after lockdown commenced (T2), we assessed 30 psychological and behavioural traits in 4,000 twins in their mid-twenties and compared their responses to the same traits assessed in 2018 (T1). Mean changes from T1 to T2 were modest and inconsistent: just as many changes were in a positive as negative direction. Twin analyses revealed that genetics accounted for about half of the reliable variance at T1 and T2. Genetic factors correlated on average .86 between T1 and T2 and accounted for over half of the phenotypic stability. Systematic environmental influences had negligible impact on T1, T2 or T2 change. Rather than the crisis fundamentally changing people psychologically, our results suggest that genetic differences between individuals play a fundamental role in shaping psychological and behavioural responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

The Reliability of Retrieval-Induced Forgetting

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosalind Potts ◽  
Robin Law ◽  
John F. Golding ◽  
David Groome
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Recognition Test ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
The Other ◽  
Clinical Factors ◽  
Test Items ◽  
T1 And T2 ◽  
Test Materials ◽  
Induced Forgetting

Retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) refers to the finding that the retrieval of an item from memory impairs the retrieval of related items. The extent to which this impairment is found in laboratory tests varies between individuals, and recent studies have reported an association between individual differences in the strength of the RIF effect and other cognitive and clinical factors. The present study investigated the reliability of these individual differences in the RIF effect. A RIF task was administered to the same individuals on two occasions (sessions T1 and T2), one week apart. For Experiments 1 and 2 the final retrieval test at each session made use of a category-cue procedure, whereas Experiment 3 employed category-plus-letter cues, and Experiment 4 used a recognition test. In Experiment 2 the same test items that were studied, practiced, and tested at T1 were also studied, practiced, and tested at T2, but for the remaining three experiments two different item sets were used at T1 and T2. A significant RIF effect was found in all four experiments. A significant correlation was found between RIF scores at T1 and T2 in Experiment 2, but for the other three experiments the correlations between RIF scores at T1 and T2 failed to reach significance. This study therefore failed to find clear evidence for reliable individual differences in RIF performance, except where the same test materials were used for both test sessions. These findings have important implications for studies involving individual differences in RIF performance.

scholarly journals Genetic and environmental architecture of conscientiousness in adolescence

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Takahashi ◽  
Anqing Zheng ◽  
Shinji Yamagata ◽  
Juko Ando
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Effortful Control ◽  
Genetic Variance ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Genetic Analyses ◽  
Environmental Correlations ◽  
Per Se

AbstractUsing a genetically informative design (about 2000 twin pairs), we investigated the phenotypic and genetic and environmental architecture of a broad construct of conscientiousness (including conscientiousness per se, effortful control, self-control, and grit). These four different measures were substantially correlated; the coefficients ranged from 0.74 (0.72–0.76) to 0.79 (0.76–0.80). Univariate genetic analyses revealed that individual differences in conscientiousness measures were moderately attributable to additive genetic factors, to an extent ranging from 62 (58–65) to 64% (61–67%); we obtained no evidence that shared environmental influences were observed. Multivariate genetic analyses showed that for the four measures used to assess conscientiousness, genetic correlations were stronger than the corresponding non-shared environmental correlations, and that a latent common factor accounted for over 84% of the genetic variance. Our findings suggest that individual differences in the four measures of conscientiousness are not distinguishable at both the phenotypic and behavioural genetic levels, and that the overlap was substantially attributable to genetic factors.

Evidence of gene–environment correlation for peer difficulties: Disruptive behaviors predict early peer relation difficulties in school through genetic effects

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Boivin ◽  
Mara Brendgen ◽  
Frank Vitaro ◽  
Nadine Forget-Dubois ◽  
Bei Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
Disruptive Behaviors ◽  
Teacher Ratings ◽  
Peer Relation ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Early School ◽  
Peer Nominations ◽  
Peer Difficulties

AbstractEarly disruptive behaviors, such as aggressive and hyperactive behaviors, known to be influenced by genetic factors, have been found to predict early school peer relation difficulties, such as peer rejection and victimization. However, there is no consensus regarding the developmental processes underlying this predictive association. Genetically informative designs, such as twin studies, are well suited for investigating the underlying genetic and environmental etiology of this association. The main goal of the present study was to examine the possible establishment of an emerging gene–environment correlation linking disruptive behaviors to peer relationship difficulties during the first years of school. Participants were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of twins who were assessed with respect to their social behaviors and their peer relation difficulties in kindergarten and in Grade 1 through peer nominations measures and teacher ratings. As predicted, disruptive behaviors were concurrently and predictively associated with peer relation difficulties. Multivariate analyses of these associations indicate that they were mainly accounted for by genetic factors. These results emphasize the need to adopt an early and persistent prevention framework targeting both the child and the peer context to alleviate the establishment of a negative coercive process and its consequences.

Influence of genetic factors and institutional environment on entrepreneurial activity: evidence from a twin study in Italy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Zunino
Keyword(s):  
Twin Study ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Behavioral Genetics ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Alternative Theory ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Institutional Environments ◽  
Gene Environment Interaction ◽  
Gene Environment

Abstract Genetic factors influence entrepreneurial activity, but we know little about how genetic factors influence entrepreneurial activity when the institutional environment is favorable. Two theories from behavioral genetics explain the gene–environment interaction. One theory argues that a favorable environment favors the development of genetic factors and their influence. An alternative theory posits that unfavorable environment triggers the development of genetic factors and their influence. I test these two competing theories with a twin study based in Italy. I compare the influence of genetic factors in provinces where the institutional environment favors entrepreneurial activity with provinces where the institutional environment is unfavorable to entrepreneurial activity. I found consistent evidence that genetic factors exert a larger influence in favorable institutional environments, suggesting that favorable institutional environments complement genetic factors.

scholarly journals Simulation and Sensitivity Analysis and Cross-Validation, Demonstrating the Utility of Genteract GxE Discovery methods

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brody Holohan ◽  
Raphael Laderman
Keyword(s):  
Complex Traits ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Cross Validation ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Individual Response ◽  
Analytical Technique ◽  
Gene Environment ◽  
Study Results

AbstractGene-environment interactions are at the heart of why many complex traits are not fully heritable, and why prediction of disease incidence and individual response to environmental changes based on genetics has been underwhelming in utility. Understanding these interactions is the primary limiting factor for the application of personalized medicine, but current methods are not well suited for dealing with complex traits that pose both a dimensionality and sparse data problem to unsupervised analysis methods. Genteract has developed a proprietary analytical technique that allows for detection and interpretation of GxEs regarding specific pairs of a single phenotype with a single environmental factor; these methods allow us to develop a platform that can be used to predict how individuals will respond to changes in their environment based on their genetics. To validate the methods we performed two types of testing: cross-validation against a dataset of clinical study results, and application of the methods in a simulated dataset. These tests enable a greater understanding of the methods’ utility, statistical power and predictive capabilities.

scholarly journals Medial temporal lobe BOLD activity at rest predicts individual differences in memory ability in healthy young adults

2008 ◽  
Vol 105 (47) ◽  
pp. 18555-18560 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Wig ◽  
S. T. Grafton ◽  
K. E. Demos ◽  
G. L. Wolford ◽  
S. E. Petersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Memory Ability

Development of Eating Behaviors Among Children and Adolescents

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 101 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 539-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leann L. Birch ◽  
Jennifer O. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Feeding Practices ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Preventive Interventions ◽  
Child Feeding ◽  
Preschool Period ◽  
Child Feeding Practices ◽  
Genes And Environment

The prevalence of obesity among children is high and is increasing. We know that obesity runs in families, with children of obese parents at greater risk of developing obesity than children of thin parents. Research on genetic factors in obesity has provided us with estimates of the proportion of the variance in a population accounted for by genetic factors. However, this research does not provide information regarding individual development. To design effective preventive interventions, research is needed to delineate how genetics and environmental factors interact in the etiology of childhood obesity. Addressing this question is especially challenging because parents provide both genes and environment for children. An enormous amount of learning about food and eating occurs during the transition from the exclusive milk diet of infancy to the omnivore's diet consumed by early childhood. This early learning is constrained by children's genetic predispositions, which include the unlearned preference for sweet tastes, salty tastes, and the rejection of sour and bitter tastes. Children also are predisposed to reject new foods and to learn associations between foods' flavors and the postingestive consequences of eating. Evidence suggests that children can respond to the energy density of the diet and that although intake at individual meals is erratic, 24-hour energy intake is relatively well regulated. There are individual differences in the regulation of energy intake as early as the preschool period. These individual differences in self-regulation are associated with differences in child-feeding practices and with children's adiposity. This suggests that child-feeding practices have the potential to affect children's energy balance via altering patterns of intake. Initial evidence indicates that imposition of stringent parental controls can potentiate preferences for high-fat, energy-dense foods, limit children's acceptance of a variety of foods, and disrupt children's regulation of energy intake by altering children's responsiveness to internal cues of hunger and satiety. This can occur when well-intended but concerned parents assume that children need help in determining what, when, and how much to eat and when parents impose child-feeding practices that provide children with few opportunities for self-control. Implications of these findings for preventive interventions are discussed.

Ordinary Origins of Psychological Problems

2021 ◽  
pp. 187-214
Author(s):  
Benjamin B. Lahey
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stress Generation ◽  
The People ◽  
Gene Environment

This chapter delves deeper into the role of environmental influences, without forgetting that environmental influences always play their role in the context of gene–environment correlations and interactions. The environments (i.e., experiences) that, on average, are statistically correlated with a higher risk are easy to identify in studies. They include stressful events, including trauma and economic hardship, maladaptive family and neighborhood environments, racial discrimination, and some characteristics of family environments. Environments do not passively shape behavior into psychological problems, however. People actively transact with their environments, meaning that their environments influence their behavior, their behavior and other characteristics influence their environments, and their characteristics moderate the extent to which their experiences influence their behavior. Many characteristics influence people’s transactions with the environment, including age, sex, race, and ethnicity. It is also useful to examine broad individual differences in cognitive and emotional traits, termed dispositions, which play key roles in people’s transactions with the environment that result in psychological problems. One important aspect of this is that many people engage in stress generation, in which their behavior actively creates stressful events such as conflicts with others that in turn stress the people who engage in the stress generation.

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