TY - JOUR
T1 - Parental discipline and affection and children's prosocial behavior
T2 - Genetic and environmental links
AU - Knafo, Ariel
AU - Plomin, Robert
PY - 2006/1
Y1 - 2006/1
N2 - The authors investigated genetic and environmental contributions to the relationships between children's (N = 9,319 twin pairs) prosocial behavior and parental positivity and negativity toward them. Children's prosocial behavior was rated by parents at ages 3, 4, and 7 and by teachers at age 7. At each age, parents described their feelings and discipline toward each twin. Parental positivity was indexed by positive feelings and positive, noncoercive discipline, and parental negativity was indexed by negative feelings and coercive, punitive discipline. Genetics and the environment both contributed to individual differences in prosocial behavior and in parenting. At all ages, parental positivity correlated positively, and parental negativity correlated negatively with prosocial behavior. Genetic factors largely mediated the negative correlation between prosocial behavior and parental negativity. Shared environmental effects contributed mainly to the positive relationship between prosocial behavior and parental positivity. This pattern was found both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The findings point to the importance of children's characteristics and of the parent-child relationship in family processes.
AB - The authors investigated genetic and environmental contributions to the relationships between children's (N = 9,319 twin pairs) prosocial behavior and parental positivity and negativity toward them. Children's prosocial behavior was rated by parents at ages 3, 4, and 7 and by teachers at age 7. At each age, parents described their feelings and discipline toward each twin. Parental positivity was indexed by positive feelings and positive, noncoercive discipline, and parental negativity was indexed by negative feelings and coercive, punitive discipline. Genetics and the environment both contributed to individual differences in prosocial behavior and in parenting. At all ages, parental positivity correlated positively, and parental negativity correlated negatively with prosocial behavior. Genetic factors largely mediated the negative correlation between prosocial behavior and parental negativity. Shared environmental effects contributed mainly to the positive relationship between prosocial behavior and parental positivity. This pattern was found both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The findings point to the importance of children's characteristics and of the parent-child relationship in family processes.
KW - Development
KW - Genetics
KW - Parenting
KW - Prosocial behavior
KW - Twins Early Development Study
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=31644446730&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0022-3514.90.1.147
DO - 10.1037/0022-3514.90.1.147
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C2 - 16448315
AN - SCOPUS:31644446730
SN - 0022-3514
VL - 90
SP - 147
EP - 164
JO - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
IS - 1
ER -