Evidence of Reactive Gene-Environment Correlation in Preschoolers' Prosocial Play with Unfamiliar Peers

Autor/inn/en	DiLalla, Lisabeth Fisher; Bersted, Kyle; John, Sufna Gheyara
Titel	Evidence of Reactive Gene-Environment Correlation in Preschoolers' Prosocial Play with Unfamiliar Peers
Quelle	In: Developmental Psychology, 51 (2015) 10, S.1464-1475 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0012-1649
DOI	10.1037/dev0000047
Schlagwörter	Genetics; Correlation; Prosocial Behavior; Peer Relationship; Preschool Children; Environmental Influences; Child Behavior; Twins; Siblings; Play; Biological Influences; Longitudinal Studies; Statistical Analysis; Individual Characteristics; Interaction; Questionnaires; Likert Scales; Coding; Factor Analysis; Observation; Multivariate Analysis; Illinois + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Humangenetik; Korrelation; Peer-Beziehungen; Pre-school age; Preschool age; Child; Children; Pre-school education; Preschool education; Vorschulalter; Kind; Kinder; Vorschulkind; Vorschulkinder; Vorschulerziehung; Vorschule; Environmental influence; Umwelteinfluss; Twin; Zwilling; Sibling; Geschwister; Spiel; Biologischer Faktor; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; Statistische Analyse; Personality characteristic; Personality traits; Persönlichkeitsmerkmal; Interaktion; Fragebogen; Likert-Skala; Codierung; Programmierung; Faktorenanalyse; Beobachtung; Multivariate Analyse
Abstract	The development of prosocial behaviors during the preschool years is essential for children's positive interactions with peers in school and other social situations. Although there is some evidence of genetic influences on prosocial behaviors, very little is known about how genes and environment, independently and in concert, affect prosocial behaviors in young children. This study of 126 twin and sibling pairs examined 5-year-old preschool children's positive behaviors (prosocial and easy-going) while playing freely with an unfamiliar, same-age, same-sex peer. Children were randomly paired, allowing us to rule out passive (parent-influenced environment) and active (child-driven peer choices) gene-environment correlations as potential influences on the results. We found evidence of reactive gene-environment correlation, demonstrating that children who are genetically more likely to act prosocially and to be temperamentally outgoing appear to evoke more prosocial and easy-going behaviors from an unfamiliar peer. We also found that both dominant genetic and nonshared environmental factors were significant influences on preschoolers' prosocial play behaviors, but that neither genetic nor shared environmental factors were significant for easy-going play behaviors. These findings shed important light on influences of prosocial behaviors in preschoolers. Via inherited tendencies, preschool children's positive behaviors evoke similar positive behaviors from their play peers. Given that prosocial behaviors are preludes to a large range of important socially appropriate behaviors, prosocial children should be encouraged to interact with their peers to potentially create a more positive atmosphere within social contexts. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01