Can someone please tell me what the hell this means! Please?

Question

The authors explored the genetic and environmental underpinnings of individual differences in temperament with a sample of 604 3- to 16-month-old infant twins and their parents. Mothers completed Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ), and a subsample of 140 9-month-old twins participated in behavioral assessment of temperament in the laboratory as well. For IBQ Smiling and Laughter and Duration of Orienting, both additive genetic and shared environmental effects were needed to best represent the data. Shared environmental effects fully accounted for cotwin similarity for IBQ Soothability,and conversely, additive genetic effects fully accounted for cotwin similarity for the IBQ Distress to Limitations, Distress to Novelty, and Activity Level scales. With the subsample, the authors fit a multivariate model to mother report, father report, and lab measures of stranger distress and found that genetic influences were most important for the covariation among these measures.

Answer 1

This is describing an experiment. The researchers wanted to see whether genetics, early environment, or both play a role in a child's development. So, they looked at 604 infant twins, and they gave a questionnaire to each mother. Of those 604 infant twins, 140 of them came into their laboratory, where the researchers were able to perform more assessments on them.



It sounds like what they found was this:



- Both genetics and the early environment play a role in the child's smiling/laughter habits and the child's duration of orienting (an example of orienting would be when the child hears a loud noise, they turn their head to look at it, so basically how long they would look at a new sensation like a loud noise).



- The early environment, rather than genetics, plays a role in the soothability of a child (how easy it is to calm the child down when he's upset).



- Genetics, rather than the early environment, plays a role in the distress to limitations (how upset a child gets when he can't do something), distress to novelty (how comfortable a child is with new experiences), and the child's activity level (whether the child is calm and quiet or loud and rambunctious).

Answer 2

The study six hundred and 4 infants 3/16th months old along with another group of140 sets of twins.they wanted to know how babies reacted to the circumstance s of the thing listed on the IBQ intelligence scale they found out that genetic factors played a part in there behavior

Answer 3

Basically, its talking about a study that happened, and it looks like its about a large amount of different twins from three to 16 months. It mentions the behavior (laughing, smiling) so im assuming that they are talking about just how similar twins can be as far as behavior goes.

Answer 4

I think there is more study of such things which has created lots of differences. But of course as you wrote genetic influences are most important for theco-variationn among these measures, its favoured ones. I think you should visit some net sites too. Here's one for you. http://www.pdainternational.net/us/PDA_Behavioral_Assessment.asp