Three Laws of Behavior Genetics and What They Mean

Behavior genetics has demonstrated that genetic variance is an important component of variation for all behavioral outcomes, but variation among families is not. These results have led some critics of behavior genetics to conclude that heritability is so ubiquitous as to have few consequences for scientific understanding of development, while some behavior genetic partisans have concluded that family environment is not an important cause of developmental outcomes. Both views are incorrect. Genotype is in fact a more systematic source of variability than environment, but for reasons that are methodological rather than substantive. Development is fundamentally nonlinear, interactive, and difficult to control experimentally. Twin studies offer a useful methodological shortcut, but do not show that genes are more fundamental than environments.     

The Neighbourhood Youth Inventory: development and validation

This paper describes the development and validation of an inventory to uncover youths' experiences in their neighbourhoods. The Neighbourhood Youth Inventory (NYI) was developed from conversations with youths in Grades 7, 9 and 11. This paper reports the psychometric analyses of the NYI. Responses from 934 youths (511 urban, 423 rural) to the NYI resulted in a four‐factor solution. This solution was stable across responses from youths in Grades 7, 9 and 11, and for urban and rural youths. Cronbach alphas ranged from 0.64 to 0.94. Construct, convergent and discriminant validity of the NYI subscales are demonstrated. Using the NYI we will be able to assess youths' experiences within their neighbourhoods, which may contribute to a more ecological understanding of healthy developmental outcomes beyond family, peer and school environments. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Proclamation of Charles H. Long in the Time of Black Lives Matter,Standing Rock,and COVID-19

Revisiting Charles H. Long's 1991 proclamation of a modern crisis of materiality, this essay examines Long's theorization of the fetish-commodity legacies, that recreated African persons into objects and commodities, as a means of understanding our present tripartite pandemic of systemic racism, environmental destruction, and COVID-19. Examining the period of, what Long elsewhere terms, the “second creation,” I interrogate what this crisis means for the study of religion and for our society today. Building on Long's conception of “soul stuff” and yet moving beyond notions of human exceptionalism, I argue that to move beyond fetish and colonial legacies and realize a “third creation” (or, in other words, a (re-)re-creation), both scholars and the public must craft a new materialism that honors the ontological reality and value of all existence.     

Predicting educational achievement from genomic measures and socioeconomic status

The two best predictors of children's educational achievement available from birth are parents’ socioeconomic status (SES) and, recently, children's inherited DNA differences that can be aggregated in genome‐wide polygenic scores (GPS). Here, we chart for the first time the developmental interplay between these two predictors of educational achievement at ages 7, 11, 14 and 16 in a sample of almost 5,000 UK school children. We show that the prediction of educational achievement from both GPS and SES increases steadily throughout the school years. Using latent growth curve models, we find that GPS and SES not only predict educational achievement in the first grade but they also account for systematic changes in achievement across the school years. At the end of compulsory education at age 16, GPS and SES, respectively, predict 14% and 23% of the variance of educational achievement. Analyses of the extremes of GPS and SES highlight their influence and interplay: In children who have high GPS and come from high SES families, 77% go to university, whereas 21% of children with low GPS and from low SES backgrounds attend university. We find that the associations of GPS and SES with educational achievement are primarily additive, suggesting that their joint influence is particularly dramatic for children at the extreme ends of the distribution.     

个体与群体情境下幼儿延迟策略的实验研究

采用实验法以90名3～5岁的儿童为被试，探讨其在个体和群体情境中延迟策略的使用状况。研究结果表明：在注意转移策略的使用上，存在着显著的年龄差异；在被动策略的使用上4岁组的幼儿具有显著差异；在个体与群体情境下，除了寻求帮助策略上有显著的差异外，其他延迟策略上均无显著差异；在延迟策略的使用上没有显著的性别差异。     

Investigating what makes people walk or cycle using a socio-ecological approach in seven European cities

Large efforts and investments have been made into public transport, walking, and cycling in cities around Europe. Yet, cars remain the most ubiquitous mode of travel in urban areas. Often, research into the barriers facing active travel evaluates only one part of the problem, such as a person’s surrounding environment (the macro level), socially embedded practices that define the activity (meso level), or a person’s own beliefs and sense of identity (micro level). However, barriers and enablers to active travel exist on multiple levels, and interventions to increase walking and/or cycling are less likely to work when implemented in isolation. Hence, a multilevel socio-ecological model is developed to demonstrate and test the importance of assessing these barriers together, and identify interrelationships among them. Using the Physical Activity Through Sustainable Transportation Approaches (PASTA) dataset on the travel behaviour of people in seven different European cities, this paper identifies the constructs that correlate with active travel most. Within PASTA, psychosocial constructs influence the decision to take a trip by bicycle or walk more than built environment variables. In addition, trip purpose and the meso level influence the importance of built environment and attitudinal variables in explaining active travel. These relationships do not vary significantly between cities. This research further supports the use of multi-faceted interventions to increase walking and cycling, rather than focussing on a single policy.     

Understanding and modelling risky driving behaviour on high-speed corridors

This study explores the relationships among various factors influencing risky driving behaviours, particularly on high-speed corridors (expressways). A total of 546 samples are collected from licenced drivers through an online survey. Exploratory factor analysis confirms the four-factor solution and the same is verified using confirmatory factor analysis. These factors are individual aberrant driving behaviour (violations and errors), risky driving behaviour performed by surrounding vehicles and dangerous manoeuvres due to prevailing road environment. Structural equation modelling is used to establish the relationships amongst the aforementioned factors. The results of the study describe that observed risky driving behaviour on expressways is mostly affected by drivers’ individual aberrant driving (γ = 0.62) followed by risky driving behaviour performed by surrounding vehicles (γ = 0.39) and least affected by the road environment (γ = 0.36). The individual driving behaviour is mostly affected by violations (γ = 0.47) followed by errors (γ = 0.38). Furthermore, differences in Driving Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) scales are analysed with respect to the demographic variables. Results suggest that male and young drivers report more violations than female and older drivers, respectively, however, female drivers are more error prone than male drivers. The findings of the study can be useful to identify the potential road safety countermeasures to improve the driving style as well as the driving environment.     

Psychometric properties of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development inventory for use with Iranian children aged 18–42 months

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to translate the original English language version of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development (AHEMD) inventory and test its psychometric properties for use with Iranian children aged 18–42 months.MethodsFor this purpose, the tool was translated into Farsi (a Persian language) using the forward-backward translation method and some of its psychometric properties were examined. Multistage stratified-cluster sampling was used to study 1019 families having children aged 18–42 months from among the regional divisions of Tehran urban community health centers. The questionnaire evaluated five factors: outside space, inside space, variety of stimulation, fine motor toys and gross motor toys. Expert opinion was used for content-related validity evaluation and confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine construct validity. For test-retest reliability, parents completed identical questionnaires two weeks apart. Internal consistency was evaluated using inter-examiner reliability, Cronbach's alpha and construct reliability. Linear regression analysis was used to explain and predict the effects of toys on AHEMD total score.ResultsResults showed that content-related validity was 0.92. Data confirmatory factor analysis showed an acceptable fit to the original five factors. Reliability over time was 0.91 and internal consistency was 0.93. It was also found that fine- and gross-motor toys showed a significant 55% predictability of affordance provision in the home.ConclusionThe Farsi translation of the AHEMD is acceptable for use with Iranian children aged 18–42 month.     

Response to commentaries on discussion paper Gene–environment interdependence

There is a high measure of agreement on the key issues concerning gene–environment interdependence. Contrary to arguments on the need for direct exact replication of findings, it is suggested that “robust” replication using the same constructs is needed. RCTs have an important role for testing for environmental mediation but cannot be used for environmental risks in childhood that show G×E in relation to adult outcomes. Instead, greater use needs to be made of natural experiments. Experimental methods are needed to study biological mediating mechanisms and these should include both animal models and human brain imaging studies. In addition to further research on G×E, further studies of gene–environment correlations are required. Many challenges remain but the future for gene–environment interdependence is bright.     

Parental behaviour and children's creation of imaginary companions: A longitudinal study

This longitudinal study examined whether parenting quality, parental behaviours and children's temperament at 6 months of age predicted children's creations of imaginary companions (ICs) at 44 months of age. At six months, parenting quality and parental behaviours were measured using the Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment, and the frequency of mental-state references made during mother–infant interactions was recorded. Temperament was assessed using the Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire. Parents then completed questionnaires assessing whether their children had ICs at 44 months of age. The results revealed that only the approach characteristic of temperament marginally predicted children's IC status. Results of the parental measures showed that parents of children with ICs were more likely to attribute mental states to their child and to refrain from intruding in their child's behaviours than parents of children without ICs. The results indicated that parental behaviours are important for children's creation of ICs.