scholarly journals Personality and Peer Groups in Adolescence: Reciprocal Associations and Shared Genetic and Environmental Influences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Angus Clark ◽  
C. Emily Durbin ◽  
Mary M. Heitzeg ◽  
William G. Iacono ◽  
Matt McGue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Peer Groups ◽  
Negative Emotionality ◽  
Developmental Context ◽  
Peer Behavior ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Shared Genetic

Peer groups provide a critical developmental context in adolescence, and there are many well-documented associations between personality and peer behavior at this age. However, the precise nature and direction of these associations are difficult to determine as youth both select into and are influenced by their friends. We thus examined the phenotypic, genetic, and environmental links between antisocial and prosocial peer characteristics and several personality traits from middle childhood to late adolescence (ages 11, 14, and 17 years) in a longitudinal twin sample (N = 3762) using teacher ratings of personality, and self-reports of peer characteristics. At both within-person and between-person levels of analysis, less adaptive trait profiles (i.e., high negative emotionality, low conscientiousness, and low agreeableness) were associated with more antisocial and fewer prosocial peer characteristics. Associations between personality traits related to emotionality (negative emotionality and extraversion) and peer behavior were largely attributable to shared genetic influences, while associations between personality traits related to behavioral control (conscientiousness and agreeableness) and peer behavior were due to overlapping genetic and shared environmental influences. There was also some evidence for reciprocity and corresponsive processes such that traits in early adolescence contributed to selection into certain peer groups, which in turn extenuated those personality traits. Taken together, results suggest a set of environmental presses that push youth towards both behavioral undercontrol and antisocial peer affiliations, making the identification of such influences and their relative importance a critical avenue of future work.

scholarly journals Personality and Sexual Development in Adolescence: Selection, Corresponsive Effects, and Genetic and Environmental Influences

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Angus Clark ◽  
C. Emily Durbin ◽  
William G. Iacono ◽  
Matt McGue ◽  
Brian M. Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Sexual Development ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
The Other ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Sexual Experiences ◽  
Related Personality

Though sexuality and personality are related domains of personhood, the dynamics of their co-development remains relatively unexplored, especially during adolescence when partnered sexual behaviors tend to emerge. We examined the co-development between personality and sexuality at phenotypic and genetic levels of analysis from middle childhood to late adolescence (ages 11, 14, and 17) using a longitudinal twin sample (N = 3762). In terms of selecting into sexual experiences, extraversion was associated with more normative sexual behaviors (e.g., dating) while low agreeableness, low conscientiousness, and neuroticism were associated with more non-normative sexual behaviors (e.g., sexual intercourse, pregnancy, earlier age of initiation in general). We also found evidence of corresponsive effects, specifically, sexual experiences were associated with subsequent increases in extraversion and neuroticism and decreases in agreeableness. Genetic influences accounted for associations between normative sexual behaviors and extraversion, and between sexual behaviors and emotion-related personality traits. Shared environmental influences largely accounted for associations between non-normative sexual behaviors and personality, and between sexual behaviors and traits related to behavioral control. These findings identify distinct personality processes—one genetically mediated via emotionality and the other through shared environmental influences on behavioral control processes—that contribute to and are shaped by sexual development in adolescence.

A longitudinal genetically informed analysis of parental negativity and children’s negative emotionality in middle childhood.

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 2403-2416
Author(s):  
Dana Vertsberger ◽  
Kimberly J. Saudino ◽  
Reut Avinun ◽  
Lior Abramson ◽  
Ariel Knafo-Noam
Keyword(s):  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Negative Emotionality

Polygenic Risk Score for Smoking is associated with Externalizing Psychopathology and Disinhibited Personality Traits but not Internalizing Psychopathology in Adolescence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Hicks ◽  
D. Angus Clark ◽  
Joseph D. Deak ◽  
Mengzhen Liu ◽  
C. Emily Durbin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Genetic Risk ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Cumulative Exposure ◽  
Genetic Influences ◽  
Behavioral Disinhibition ◽  
Polygenic Risk ◽  
Externalizing Psychopathology ◽  
Internalizing Psychopathology ◽  
Random Intercept

Importance: Large consortia of genome wide association studies have yielded more accurate polygenic risk scores (PRS) that aggregate the small effects of many genetic variants to characterize the genetic architecture of disorders and provide a personalized measure of genetic risk. Objective: We examined whether a PRS for smoking measured genetic risk for general behavioral disinhibition by estimating its associations with externalizing and internalizing psychopathology and related personality traits. We examined these associations at multiple time points in adolescence using more refined phenotypes defined by stable characteristics across time and at young ages, which reduced potential confounds associated with cumulative exposure to substances and reverse causality. Methods: Random intercept panel models were fit to symptoms of conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), and teacher ratings of externalizing and internalizing problems and personality traits at ages 11, 14, and 17 years-old in the Minnesota Twin Family Study (N = 3225). Results: The smoking PRS had strong associations with the random intercept factors for all the externalizing measures (mean standardized ꞵ = .27), agreeableness (ꞵ=-.22, 95% CI: -.28, -.16), and conscientiousness (ꞵ=-.19, 95% CI: -.24, -.13), but was not significantly associated with the internalizing measures (mean ꞵ = .06) or extraversion (ꞵ=.01, 95% CI: -.05, .07). After controlling for smoking at age 17, the associations with the externalizing measures (mean ꞵ = .13) and personality traits related to behavioral control (mean ꞵ = -.10) remained statistically significant. Conclusions and Relevance: The smoking PRS measures genetic influences that contribute to a spectrum of phenotypes related to behavioral disinhibition including externalizing psychopathology and normal-range personality traits related to behavioral control, but not internalizing psychopathology. Continuing to identify the correlates and delineate the mechanisms of the genetic influences associated with disinhibition could have substantial impact in mitigating a variety of public health problems (e.g., mental health, academic achievement, criminality).

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Executive Functions and Intelligence in the ABCD Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha M Freis ◽  
Claire Morrison ◽  
Jeffrey M. Lessem ◽  
John K. Hewitt ◽  
Naomi P. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Genetic Correlation ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Twin Studies

Executive functions (EFs) and intelligence (IQ) are phenotypically correlated and heritable; however, they show variable genetic correlations in twin studies spanning childhood to middle age. We analyzed data from over 11,000 children (9-10-year-olds, including 749 twin pairs) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study to examine the phenotypic and genetic relations between EFs and IQ in childhood. We identified two EF factors – Common EF and Updating-Specific, which were both related to IQ (rs = .64-.81). Common EF and IQ were heritable (53-67%), and their genetic correlation (rG = .86) was not significantly different than 1. These results suggest that EFs and IQ are phenotypically but not genetically separable in middle childhood.

scholarly journals Polygenic Score for Smoking Is Associated With Externalizing Psychopathology and Disinhibited Personality Traits but Not Internalizing Psychopathology in Adolescence

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262110021
Author(s):  
Brian M. Hicks ◽  
D. Angus Clark ◽  
Joseph D. Deak ◽  
Mengzhen Liu ◽  
C. Emily Durbin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Behavioral Disinhibition ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Polygenic Score ◽  
Externalizing Psychopathology ◽  
Internalizing Psychopathology ◽  
Multiple Time Points ◽  
Related Personality

We examined whether a polygenic score (PGS) for smoking measured genetic risk for general behavioral disinhibition by estimating its associations with externalizing and internalizing psychopathology and related personality traits at multiple time points in adolescence (ages 11, 14, and 17 years; N = 3,225). The smoking PGS had strong associations with the stable variance across time for all the externalizing measures (mean standardized β = 0.27), agreeableness (β = −0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [−0.28, −0.16]), and conscientiousness (β = −0.19, 95% CI = [−0.24, −0.13]) but was not significantly associated with internalizing measures (mean β = 0.06) or extraversion (β = 0.01, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.07]). After controlling for smoking at age 17 years, the associations with externalizing, low agreeableness, and low conscientiousness remained statistically significant. The smoking PGS measures genetic influences that contribute to a spectrum of phenotypes related to behavioral disinhibition, including externalizing psychopathology and normal-range personality traits related to behavioral control but not internalizing psychopathology.

scholarly journals Genetic and environmental influences on executive functions and intelligence in middle childhood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Freis ◽  
Claire L. Morrison ◽  
Jeffrey M. Lessem ◽  
John K. Hewitt ◽  
Naomi P. Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functions ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Environmental Influences

scholarly journals Twin Study of the Relationship between Childhood Negative Emotionality and Hyperactivity/Inattention Problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-13
Author(s):  
Yoon-Mi Hur ◽  
Hoe-Uk Jeong
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Model Fitting ◽  
Negative Emotionality ◽  
Phenotypic Correlation ◽  
Environmental Correlation ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe present study aimed to determine the genetic and environmental etiology of the association between childhood negative emotionality (NE) and hyperactivity/inattention problems (HIP) using South Korean elementary school twins (mean age = 10.19 years, SD = 1.79 years). Telephone interviews were given to mothers of 919 twins (229 monozygotic males: 112 pairs and 5 individuals; 148 dizygotic males: 73 pairs and 2 individuals; 180 monozygotic females: 87 pairs and 6 individuals; 103 dizygotic females: 50 pairs and 3 individuals; 259 opposite-sex dizygotic twins: 127 pairs and 5 individuals) to assess their children’s NE and HIP. Consistent with prior studies, the phenotypic correlation between NE and the HIP was moderate (r = .29; 95% CI = .24, .34). Model-fitting analysis revealed that additive genetic and nonshared environmental influences on NE were .45 (95% CI [.34, .54]) and .55 (95% CI [.46, .66]), respectively, and that additive and nonadditive genetic, and nonshared environmental influences on HIP were .08 (95% CI [.03, .26]), .41 (95% CI [.21, .51]) and .51 (95% CI = .42, .61), respectively. In addition, the additive genetic correlation between NE and HIP was 1.0 (95% CI [.52, 1.00]), indicating that additive genetic factors are entirely shared between the two phenotypes. Nonadditive genetic influences were unique to HIP and not responsible for the NE-HIP association. Nonshared environmental correlation was significant but modest (re = .18, 95% CI [.06, .30]).

Neurocognitive underpinnings of social development during childhood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaus Steinbeis
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Behavioral Control ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Subcortical Regions ◽  
Cortical Regions

This chapter reviews the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying social development during middle childhood. The author focuses on social abilities (e.g., theory of mind and empathy) and prosocial behavior (e.g., sharing and helping). The chapter discusses studies and theories on developmental changes in these social phenomena and references evidence of neurocognitive underpinnings where available. The author argues that changes in social development during childhood can best be explained in developments in regulatory processes, such as behavioral control, emotion regulation, conflict processing, and self-other control. The author refers to this cluster of functions as social control mechanisms. Changes in these social control mechanisms are driven by the maturation of neural circuitry comprising prefrontal cortical regions and their interactions with subcortical regions. Crucially, while the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying social development are distinct for different abilities and behaviors, it appears to be domain-general processes that predominantly shape social development during middle childhood.

scholarly journals Computer Programming E-Learners’ Personality Traits, Self-Reported Cognitive Abilities, and Learning Motivating Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1205
Author(s):  
Aiste Dirzyte ◽  
Aivaras Vijaikis ◽  
Aidas Perminas ◽  
Romualda Rimasiute-Knabikiene ◽  
Lukas Kaminskis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Computer Programming ◽  
Social Pressure ◽  
Negative Emotionality ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Individual Attitude ◽  
The Impact

Educational systems around the world encourage students to engage in programming activities, but programming learning is one of the most challenging learning tasks. Thus, it was significant to explore the factors related to programming learning. This study aimed to identify computer programming e-learners’ personality traits, self-reported cognitive abilities and learning motivating factors in comparison with other e-learners. We applied a learning motivating factors questionnaire, the Big Five Inventory—2, and the SRMCA instruments. The sample consisted of 444 e-learners, including 189 computer programming e-learners, the mean age was 25.19 years. It was found that computer programming e-learners demonstrated significantly lower scores of extraversion, and significantly lower scores of motivating factors of individual attitude and expectation, reward and recognition, and punishment. No significant differences were found in the scores of self-reported cognitive abilities between the groups. In the group of computer programming e-learners, extraversion was a significant predictor of individual attitude and expectation; conscientiousness and extraversion were significant predictors of challenging goals; extraversion and agreeableness were significant predictors of clear direction; open-mindedness was a significant predictor of a diminished motivating factor of punishment; negative emotionality was a significant predictor of social pressure and competition; comprehension-knowledge was a significant predictor of individual attitude and expectation; fluid reasoning and comprehension-knowledge were significant predictors of challenging goals; comprehension-knowledge was a significant predictor of clear direction; and visual processing was a significant predictor of social pressure and competition. The SEM analysis demonstrated that personality traits (namely, extraversion, conscientiousness, and reverted negative emotionality) statistically significantly predict learning motivating factors (namely, individual attitude and expectation, and clear direction), but the impact of self-reported cognitive abilities in the model was negligible in both groups of participants and non-participants of e-learning based computer programming courses; χ² (34) = 51.992, p = 0.025; CFI = 0.982; TLI = 0.970; NFI = 0.950; RMSEA = 0.051 [0.019–0.078]; SRMR = 0.038. However, as this study applied self-reported measures, we strongly suggest applying neurocognitive methods in future research.

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