Publications by authors named "F M Spinath"
Background: Intelligence is defined as general mental capacity, which includes the abilities to reason, solve new problems, think abstractly, and learn quickly. Genetic factors explain a considerable fraction of inter-individual differences in intelligence. For many years, research on intelligence was limited to estimating the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors, without identifying any individual causal factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEducation-related variables are positively associated with intelligence in both causal directions, but little is known about the associations' underlying genetically and environmentally intertwined processes and many 'third variables' are probably involved too. In this study, we investigated how school achievement, measured by grade point average (GPA), moderated intelligence test score variation in young adulthood in broadly representative samples from the U.S.
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- The study investigates how familial factors might affect the link between mental disorders and perceived discrimination, particularly focusing on sex differences.
- Analyzing data from 2044 twin pairs, it was found that while mental disorders and discrimination are related, much of this link is actually due to shared family influences rather than individual differences.
- The results indicate that familial confounding is more significant in males compared to females, highlighting the need to consider family background in mental health research relating to discrimination.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how familial factors impact the relationship between obesity and internalising disorders (like depression and anxiety) in adolescents and young adults, highlighting its unclear connection in youth compared to adults.
- Using a matched co-twin design with 4,018 twins aged 16 to 27, the researchers found that high internalising symptoms significantly increased the odds of obesity, particularly in females, but not in males.
- The results suggest that familial factors confound the association between internalising symptoms and obesity in females, but this association is not present in males, indicating a need for sex-specific prevention and treatment strategies.