Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T08:22:33.935Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Heritability of social cognitive skills in children and adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Jane Scourfield ,
Neilson Martin ,
Glyn Lewis  and
Peter McGuffin
Jane Scourfield*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Mediane, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Neilson Martin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Mediane, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Glyn Lewis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Mediane, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
Peter McGuffin
Affiliation:
SGDP Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
J. Scourfield, Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF4 4XN
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Social cognitive skills are those which enable understanding of social situations; they are relevant to a variety of psychiatric disorders including autism, schizophrenia and externalising behaviour problems in children.

Aims

To examine the heritability of social cognitive skills.

Method

Using a population-based sample of twins aged 5–17, the genetic and environmental influences on social cognitive skills were examined.

Results

Male scores were higher than female scores (P < 0.001), indicating poorer social cognition among males. A heritability of 0.68 (95% CI 0.43–0.78) was found, with shared environmental influences accounting for only 0.05 of the variance (95% CI 0.00–0.28). This could be removed from the model without worsening the fit. There were no significant differences in genetic effects between the genders, but age-related changes were found, with younger twins showing greater genetic influence on social cognition.

Conclusions

Social cognition appears to be under considerable genetic influence in the population and shows significant male–female differences. No gender differences in genetic influences on the variance of scores were found, but the effects of age were significant.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 175 , Issue 6 , December 1999 , pp. 559 - 564
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Declaration of interest

Support received from the Medical Research Council.

References

Cohan, D., Dibble, E., Grawe, J., et al (1975) Reliably separating identical from fraternal twins. Archives of General Psychiatry 32, 1371–1375.Google Scholar
Cohan, N., Karshner, J. & Wahrspann, W. (1985) Characteristics of social cognition in children with different symptom patterns. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 6, 277–290.Google Scholar
Cohan, N., Manna, R., Vallance, D., et al (1998) Language, social cognitive processing, and behavioural characteristics of psychiatrically disturbed children with previously identified and unsuspected language impairments. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 853–864.Google Scholar
Devlin, B., Daniels, M. & Roader, K. (1997) The heritability of IQ. Nature, 388, 468–471.Google Scholar
Eagly, A. (1995) The science and politics of comparing women and men. American Psychologist, 50, 145–158.Google Scholar
Falconer, D. & Macksy, T. (1996) Quantitative Genetics (4th edn). Harlow: Longman.Google Scholar
Fargusson, D. (1997) Annotation: structural equation models in developmental research. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 877–887.Google Scholar
Frith, C. (1992) Cognitive Neuropsychology of Schizophrenia. Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Frith, U. (1996) Social communication and its disorder in autism and Asperger's syndrome. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 10, 48–53.Google Scholar
Gliberg, C. & Coleman, M. (1992) The Biology of the Autistic Syndromes. London: MacKeith Press.Google Scholar
Harrington, R., Rutter, M., Waissman, M., et al (1997) Psychiatric disorders in the relatives of depressed probands. I. Comparison of prepubertal, adolescent and early adult onset cases. Journal of Affective Disorders, 42, 9–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hay, D. F. (1994) Prosocial development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 29–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jinks, J. & Fulker, D. (1970) Comparison of the biometrical genetical, MAVA, and classical approaches to the analysis of human behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 75, 311–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, R., Kandler, K., Heath, A., et al (1992) Social support, depressed mood, and adjustment to stress: a genetic epidemiologic investigation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 62, 257–272.Google Scholar
Lochman, J. & Dodge, K. (1994) Social–cognitive processes of severely violent, moderately aggressive, and nonaggressive boys. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 366–374.Google Scholar
Lyons, M. J., True, W. R., Eisen, S. A., et al (1995) Differential heritability of adult and juvenile antisocial traits. Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 906–915.Google Scholar
Matthews, K., Batson, C., Horn, J., et al (1981) “Principles in his nature which interest him in the fortunes of others”: the heritability of empathic concern for others. Journal of Personality, 49, 237–247.Google Scholar
Matthys, W., Cuprus, J. & van Engeland, H. (1999) Deficient social problem-solving in boys with ODD/CD. with ADHD and with both disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 311–321.Google Scholar
McGue, M. (1997) The democracy of the genes. Nature, 388, 417–118.Google Scholar
McGuffln, P., Owen, M. J., O'Donovan, M. C., et al (1994) Seminors in Psychiatric Genetics. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.Google Scholar
McGuffln, P., & Thapar, A. (1997) Genetic basis of bad behaviour in adolescents. Lancet, 350, 411–412.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neale, M. & Cardon, L. (1992) Methodology for Genetic Studies of Twins and Families. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nichols, R. & Billbro, W. (1966) The diagnosis of twin zygosity. Acta Genetica. Basel,. 16, 265 275.Google ScholarPubMed
Offord, D. R., Boyle, M. H. & Racine, Y. A. (1991) The epidemiology of antisocial behavior in childhood and adolescence. In The Development and Treatment of Childhood Aggression (ed. Pepler, D.), pp. 31–54. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Plomin, R., DeFries, J. C., McClearn, G. E., et al (1997) Behavioral Genetics (3rd edn). New York: W. H. Freeman.Google Scholar
Robins, C. & Hinkley, K. (1989) Social–cognitive processing and depressive symptoms in children: a comparison of measures. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 17, 29–36.Google Scholar
Rodgers, B. (1996) Reported parental behaviour and adult affective symptoms. 2. Mediating factors. Psychological Medicine, 26, 63–77.Google Scholar
Rushton, J., Fulkar, D., Neale, M., et al (1986) Altruism and aggression: the heritability of individual differences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 1192–1198.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. & Redshaw, J. (1991) Growing up as a twin: twin–singleton differences in psychological development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 32, 885–895.Google Scholar
Sarason, I., Sarason, B. & Shearin, E. (1986) Social support as an individual difference variable: its stability, origins, and relational aspects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 4, 845–855.Google Scholar
Silberg, J., Erickson, M., Meyer, J., et al (1994) The application of structural equation modelling to maternal ratings of twins' behavioral and emotional problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 510–521.Google Scholar
Silberg, J., Pickles, A., Rutter, M., et al (1999) The influence of genetic factors and life stress on depression among adolescent girls. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 225–232.Google Scholar
Skuse, D., James, R., Bishop, D., et al (1997) Evidence from Turner's syndrome of an imprinted X-linked locus affecting cognitive function. Nature, 387, 705–708.Google Scholar
STATA (1995) Stata Statistical Software (version 4.0). College Station. TX: Stata Corporation.Google Scholar
Szatmari, P., Offord, D. & Boyle, M. (1989) Correlates, associated impairments and patterns of service utilization of children with attention deficit disorders: findings from the Ontario Child Health Study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30, 205–217.Google Scholar
Thapar, A. & McGuffin, P. (1994) A twin study of depressive symptoms in childhood. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 259–265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thapar, A. & McGuffin, P. (1996) Genetic influences on life events in childhood. Psychological Medicine, 26, 813–820.Google Scholar
Townsend, P., Philimore, P. & Beattie, A. (1988) Health and Deprivation: Inequality and the North. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.