Twin Research Essay

My sister and I, 28 minutes apart, are fraternal twins. Twins have a very special and unique bond. However, being a twin isn’t just rainbows and sunshine, it’s much more complex than that. It’s the feeling of constant comparison in every aspect of our lives. We were never invited to do activities as individuals, it was both of us, or none at all. I can tell you about the time I was 4 years old and I cut my sisters hair off so my parents would pay attention more to me, or at our 5th grade dance recital when everyone complimented her on her smile and I cried because they didn’t compliment me.

Table 3-1 examines the correlations between selected characteristics for the identical twins separated at birth and the twins raised together. When compared to each other, they both have very similar brain wave activity, blood pressure and heart rate in the physiological characteristics. The Raven intelligence test was very similar, but the WAIS IQ displayed a bit of difference when compared to the other comparisons made. Personality wise, they typically had similar personalities at the same rate as twins raised together. Psychological interests were off a little bit, but still very similar. The twins that were separated at birth had less similar psychological interests compared to the twins

The one drawback of being a twin is making an identity for yourself. Many assume that since we are 99.9% genetically identical, that I am the same person as him. I have to show that I am separate from my twin for my family, my peers, my teachers and others. Just because I come from the same egg as him does not mean I am a unique and separate human being. Making an identity for myself is one of my main struggles in life as I try to shine out and I have come a long way. Yes, I have a different favorite color than him, orange instead of blue. Yes, I like and dislike different foods than him. Be being proud of my accomplishments with my twin make those that I make on my own that more special. I was a Committee Chair in Youth and Government in a program area that my brother was not. I partook in the Chemistry Olympiad that my brother could not as only one person could go. These standalone activities help shape who I am, but it is my twin who had given me the marble to sculpt. I know that going to college is a big step of me branching out from my twin and I'm ready as it is coming quite

Most twins also have a few close friends that are separate from their sibling. Most don’t share a personality. Again, some small parts are the same, but these parts can be explained by environment. My sister and I have different interests, are involved in many different activities, and have aptitudes in many different things. For instance, she is involved very heavily in the theater and political science departments at her college, and I am involved in volunteer work wherever I can find it and the nursing department. Finally, we don’t usually dress alike. We have not dressed in the same outfits every day since the age of six, when we started helping pick out our own clothes. When we do dress alike, it is only for special events. For instance, we are planning to do so for three days at the end of summer, due to our attendance at the Twins Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio and most twins find this a fun way to celebrate being a twin. Most pairs have the same philosophy. They may dress up for holidays or birthdays (the parents and other relatives find it cute), but not on an everyday basis. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Some twins like to dress alike all the time, even as grownups. Some have the same friends, and some even have eerily similar personalities. To these people, I say “More

Twin studies are a mainstay of the nature verse nurture debate because they allow researchers to conduct “natural experiments” on human beings. When researchers try to determine the relative importance of genetics and environment with regard to a certain condition, they have a hard time because they cannot generally get people with the same genes. This is where twin studies come in. Twins studies are part of the method used in behaviour genetics, which includes all data that are genetically informative. E.g. siblings, adoptees, pedigree data etc. Researchers use this method to estimate the heritability of traits and to quantify the effect of a person 's shared environment (family) and unique environment (the individual events that shape a life) on a trait.

The Minnesota Twin Registry started in 1983 and its goal was to establish a registry of all twins born in Minnesota from 1936 to 1955 to be used for psychological research.., T.J. Bouchard, working in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, started exploring the similarities and differences in characteristics like personality, career interests, and a variety of personal interests between identical twins who were reared apart. Research was conducted on twins from all over the world. The Minnesota Twin study gave scientists a new insight of the role of nature vs. nurture on human development and personality; it was the hope that twin studies would be able to tie genes to specific behaviors. From the study, we understand that twins who were separated at birth and raised in different families

In reading stories about identical twins my point of view is easily understood. Various types of psychologist have analyzed the study of identical twins. It shows that individuals with the same genetic make-up can be totally different, when it comes to personality. Nurture promotes the twins to grow up as separate individuals. Its a lot better if a twin has his or her own personality rather than the same exact personality of the other half. I think this great debate weighs heavier on the nurture side. As a child my parents, and sibling overshadowed my genetic make-up. No matter how much I thought my physical traits made me behave. It did not affect me more than the things that I had seen and been exposed to. The more things that I had seen around and experienced made me the person that I am today. If my genetic make-up was totally different, to a certain extent, I am sure that I?d behave the same way that I do presently. There are exceptions to that. For instance if I were six foot five and one hundred and ninety pounds, I?d most likely be in the NBA and be really rich. I think if I was really rich and in the NBA I wouldn?t have the same worries that I have today. Even if before I were in the NBA I would have lots of attention and have a lot more confidence. So to an extent I would change a little if my genetic make-up were different. In a sense, genetic make-up is just a competitor to the environmental factors

Twins, share a bond that no parent, child or sibling relationship can ever compare. There are two main types of twins, and these include: monozygotic (identical) twins and dizygotic (fraternal) twins, and they are compared by their emotional, behavioural, and cognitive similarities. (Robert Plomin, 1997). According to Social Issues Referencing, 2007, whereas Identical twins are formed from a single (mono) zygote and are genetic “carbon copies”, fraternal twins develop from two (di) separate zygotes, as a result of two eggs being fertilized by two sperms independently. (Social Issues Referencing, 2007, para. 8)

Using the information provided by Belmont and Marolla, Zajonc and Markus proposed the theory that as family size increases, the average intellectual climate of the family decreases. Zajonc and Markus put the data from the Belmont and Marolla study into a table that provided information about the number of children and the average intellectual score for the children. They noticed that in larger families there is somewhat of a leveling off or even an increase in scores for the extreme later-born children. The reason for this increase is because the other siblings start to leave the family and contribute towards the average intellectual climate. Zajonc and Markus also found that twins and triplets performed lower on tests of intelligence than non-twin siblings. Zajonc and Markus didn't try to claim that the only

Throughout history, across all cultures, people have been fascinated with twins. In addition to interest in the close emotional ties and biological similarities that twins may share, reports of special twin languages and twin extrasensory perception (ESP) help people to explore ideas of what it means to be human. How similar or different are they to each other? How important are genes and environment for development? Because identical twins share all of their genes, it is the environment—rather than genetics—that accounts for any differences between them.

As stated by Myers (2007), in the above quote, adopted twins studies also play a role in determining levels of intelligence and its heritability. However, like in all other psychological testing, correlation does not always mean causation and atypical findings may find their way into the data poll. It must also be noted that in order to successfully foster an identical twin study, all the twins should be adopted. This provides for a better chance for the twins to grow up in a different environment from their biological parents. If this is not the cases, how can professionals determine that environmental influences are not the cause of the intellectual levels? In addition, if separated,

Scientists and psychologists everywhere study twins. The argument most commonly studied is nature versus nurture. The focus of this essay, however, is whether or not to separate twins in schools. Some believe the separation is demeaning and traumatic to the twins. The side about to be proved however that is this separation is a necessary step in the individualization of twins. Often, separation sparks the path to individualization.

As an identical twin my mother has always pulled a few strings to have my sister and me in the same classes throughout elementary school. We were absolutely inseparable. Transitioning from elementary to middle school was a milestone for me. Every class I was placed in was different from my sister’s. I was friendless, and at

For years I have been fascinated by that mysterious quirk of nature called twins. In my family, there are several sets of identical twins, and I have always concentrated on their similarities. I did not realize that identical twins also have many differences. My identical twin cousins, Sue and Heidi, appear to be perfect mirror images. They love to dress alike. They can feel each other's pain. They sound alike and can complete each other's sentences. But upon taking a closer look, I have found that they are as different as day and night. Aside from Sue and Heidi's outward characteristics, they possess several distinguishing traits that allow them to be viewed as two separate, independent

The family unit across the globe is valued by almost all cultures as the most important social structure in which humans form the tightest bonds. Now significant evidence to suggest that within the family structure the relationship and interaction between siblings is the most impactful relationship of a human’s lifetime. Researchers have only recently become interested in the unique relationship between siblings. Siblings have been found to advance one another’s social, emotional, and cognitive development (Mcguire and Shanahan, 2010). Researchers are now are posing the question, “Are our relationships with our siblings the most important of all?”