Observation of Externalizing Behavior During a Twin-Friend Discussion Task

Leve, Leslie D.

doi:10.1300/j002v33n02_06

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 104 publications

(108 reference statements)

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“…The results showed that, for boys, children's genetic make‐up was not related to their nominated friends' externalizing or internalizing problems or to their friends' prosocial behaviors, and only weak and inconsistent genetic effects were found for girls. An even clearer lack of rGE for both boys and girls was found in two other studies of still younger identical and fraternal twins (mean age = 10 years) that used teacher ratings and direct observational assessments of children's and their close friends' antisocial behaviors (Bullock, Deater‐Deckard, & Leve, ; Leve, ). Finally, the same picture emerges in data drawn from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study (QNTS), a longitudinal sample of identical and fraternal twins who have been followed since birth and for whom in‐classroom peer nominations (including friendship nominations) were obtained over multiple time points.…”

Section: Evidence Of Gene‐environment Correlation (Rge) Involving Thementioning

confidence: 75%

Genetics and Peer Relations: A Review

Brendgen

2012

J of Research on Adolesc

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Researchers have become increasingly interested in uncovering how genetic factors work together with the peer environment in influencing development. This article offers an overview of the state of knowledge. It first describes the different types of gene-environment correlations (rGE) and gene-environment interactions (GxE) that are of relevance for understanding the role of peer relations as well as the two main methodologies of genetically informed research, that is, the quantitative genetic approach and molecular genetics. This is followed by an overview of recent studies that examined different mechanisms of gene-environment interplay involving peer relations in childhood and adolescence. The article concludes with an outline of future directions in genetically informed peer relations research as well as the implications for theory and practice.

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Section: Evidence Of Gene‐environment Correlation (Rge) Involving Thementioning

confidence: 75%

Genetics and Peer Relations: A Review

Brendgen

2012

J of Research on Adolesc

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“…Separate staff coded each sibling’s interactions. An observed externalizing score was formed from 12 global rating items that indicated the degree of each twin’s antisocial, argumentative, and uncooperative behavior during the interactions, α > 0.91 (see Leve, 2001). Example items include ‘Did the target child initiate arguments?…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observed Externalizing Behavior: A Developmental Comparison of Genetic and Environmental Influences Across Three Samples

et al. 2011

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Estimates of genetic and environmental influences on externalizing behavior are markedly inconsistent. In an attempt to refine and extend our knowledge of externalizing behavior, the current study examined the etiology of externalizing behavior using observational data in middle childhood and adolescence from three twin and sibling samples. Observational ratings offer a unique perspective on externalizing behavior rarely examined within behavioral genetic designs. Shared environmental influences were significant and moderate to large in magnitude across all three samples (i.e., 44, 77, and 38%), while genetic influences (31%) were significant only for the adolescent sample. All three samples showed greater shared environmental influences and less genetic influence than is typically found when examining self-, parent-, and teacher-reports of externalizing behavior. These findings are consistent with other reports that have found evidence for shared environmental influences on measures of child externalizing behavior—in direct contrast to a commonly held perception that shared environmental factors do not have significant influences on behavior beyond early childhood.

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“…However, we would further expect the associations of deviant peer affiliation with various outcomes to be non-shared environmental in origin. Leve (2001) conducted a methodologically sophisticated twin study to address this very question, in which observers rated videotapes of dyadic twin-friend interactions (each twin participated with a different friend). She found that friends do account for non-shared environmental variance in twins’ externalizing behaviors (Leve, 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Leve (2001) conducted a methodologically sophisticated twin study to address this very question, in which observers rated videotapes of dyadic twin-friend interactions (each twin participated with a different friend). She found that friends do account for non-shared environmental variance in twins’ externalizing behaviors (Leve, 2001). Other studies have reported similar findings (Loehlin, 1997).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonshared environmental mediation of the association between deviant peer affiliation and adolescent externalizing behaviors over time: Results from a cross-lagged monozygotic twin differences design.

Burt

McGue

Iacono

2009

Developmental Psychology

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It has been argued that peers are the most important agent of adolescent socialization, and more specifically, that this socialization process occurs at the child-specific (or non-shared environmental) level (Harris, 1998;Plomin & Asbury, 2005). The present study sought to empirically evaluate this non-shared environmental peer influence hypothesis, examining the association between externalizing behaviors and deviant peer affiliation in a sample of 454 pairs of monozygotic (genetically identical) twins, assessed at ages 14 and 17, within a cross-lagged twin differences design. Results argued against a causal non-shared environmental influence of peer affiliation on the development of externalizing behaviors, and in favor of non-shared environmental "selection". In particular, the twin with more externalizing behaviors at age 14 reported increased deviant peer affiliation relative to his or her co-twin three years later, regardless of one's genetic predispositions towards externalizing behavior. Such findings suggest that adolescents with higher levels of externalizing behaviors select or shape (either intentionally or inadvertently) subsequent environmental experiences to involve increased affiliation with deviant peers. Implications are discussed. KeywordsDeviant peer groups; Non-shared environmental influences; Twin Differences; Externalizing behaviors In her 1998 book entitled "The Nurture Assumption", Judith Harris provocatively suggested that peers (and not parents) were the primary environmental agents of adolescent socialization. Her theory was based largely on behavioral genetic findings highlighting the very limited involvement of the shared environment (i.e., family-level environmental influences that increase similarity between siblings), as well as the prominent influence of both genetic and non-shared environmental effects (i.e., child-specific environmental influences that serve to make siblings different from one another). She specifically postulated that, because peers are not typically shared by siblings, peers were the most obvious causal source of these large nonshared environmental influences (Harris, 1998).Correspondence: Address correspondence to Alex Burt, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 107D Psychology Building, East, Lansing, MI, 48824. Electronic mail may be sent to, burts@msu.edu. Phone and fax numbers are 517-432-5602 and, 517-432-2476, respectively. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptDev Psychol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 November 1. Published in final edited form as:Dev Psychol. 2009 November ; 45(6): 1752-1760. doi:10.1037/a0016687. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptThis theory initially spawned a great deal of criticism (Collins, Maccoby, Steinberg, Hetherington, & Bornstein, 2000;Vandell, 2000), though chiefly in defense of the role of parents in offspring socialization. Indeed, subsequent research has generally not supported the contention that parenting does not matter. For example, behavio...

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Observation of Externalizing Behavior During a Twin-Friend Discussion Task

Cited by 6 publications

References 104 publications

Genetics and Peer Relations: A Review

Genetics and Peer Relations: A Review

Observed Externalizing Behavior: A Developmental Comparison of Genetic and Environmental Influences Across Three Samples

Nonshared environmental mediation of the association between deviant peer affiliation and adolescent externalizing behaviors over time: Results from a cross-lagged monozygotic twin differences design.

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