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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF‐CONTROL AND LANGUAGE: EVIDENCE OF A SHARED ETIOLOGICAL PATHWAY *
Author(s) -
BEAVER KEVIN M.,
DELISI MATT,
VAUGHN MICHAEL G.,
WRIGHT JOHN PAUL,
BOUTWELL BRIAN B.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2008.00128.x
Subject(s) - control (management) , psychology , self control , developmental psychology , set (abstract data type) , variation (astronomy) , sample (material) , proposition , empirical evidence , control sample , cognitive psychology , computer science , linguistics , biology , artificial intelligence , chemistry , physics , philosophy , food science , chromatography , astrophysics , programming language , epistemology
Converging lines of research suggest that self‐control and language may be inextricably linked. No empirical research has ever examined this proposition, however. We address this gap in the literature by analyzing a sample of twin pairs from a nationally representative data set of children. The results revealed three broad findings. First, diminished language skills were predictive of low self‐control both cross‐sectionally and longitudinally. Second, the covariation between language and self‐control was linked to both genetic and environmental factors. Third, after controlling for genetic influences on self‐control, language skills were predictive of variation in individual levels of self‐control. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.