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The Importance of Twin Studies for Individual Differences Research
Author(s) -
SEGAL NANCY L.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of counseling and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1556-6676
pISSN - 0748-9633
DOI - 10.1002/j.1556-6676.1990.tb01425.x
Subject(s) - twin study , temperament , psychology , psychopathology , personality , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , behavioural genetics , mental health , social psychology , psychiatry , heritability , biology , genetics
Twin research designs and methods are valuable tools for examining genetic and environmental influences on behavioral and medical characteristics. A review of the biological bases of twinning and descriptions of 10 research designs are presented. Findings from a selected sampling of twin studies of learning disabilities, personality and temperament, attitudes, psychopathology, and social behavior are summarized. The findings are discussed with special reference to the activities of mental health practitioners and counselors.