Preview

Michigan State Twin Registry

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1314 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Michigan State Twin Registry
In psychological research there are often similarities and differences among the studies that are being conducted or have been completed. The similarities could be two or more studies looking at similar subject matter or two or more studies using similar methods in their research. With the amount of ongoing and completed psychological studies there is a very high chance of their being two or more studies that share similarities. Even though there can be similarities among psychological research studies there are also differences among psychological research studies as well. So in other words it can be very easy to find two or more studies that are both similar and different from each other. An example of two studies that share multiple similarities …show more content…
Alexandra Burt is looking to see how the environment and genetics play a role in twins’ antisocial behavior and is using the Michigan State University Twin Registry to help with her research. Professor S. Alexandra Burt is a professor and a researcher at Michigan State University, and she helps run the Michigan State Twin Registry. The Michigan State Twin Registry is a twin registry that is located and is a part of Michigan State University’s psychology department. Some of the research assistants in Professor S. Alexandra Burt’s lab interview twins and their families who are a part of the previously mentioned twin registry. During the interview session the twins and their parents are asked to fill out questionnaires and are asked to play with etch-a-sketch. The twins and their parents are then filmed playing with an etch-a-sketch, in order for the research assistants to gain a better understanding of their behavior and to see how they interact with each other.
Another part of Professor S. Alexandra Burt’s lab is called the Neighborhood Informant Study, which gathers its data by sending questionnaires to the neighborhoods that the twins in her study live in. The questionnaires in the Neighborhood Informant Study contain questions about fear of crime, personality, life satisfaction, and informal social control. The participants in this study have an option of answering the questionnaires that are sent to them online or by
…show more content…
In the Armstrong study the participants were asked about their views on collective efficacy in relation to their neighborhood and they were also asked about crime that occurred in their neighborhood (Armstrong, Katz, & Schnebly, 2015). The Neighborhood Informant Study questionnaire contained questions that were about informal social control and fear of crime. The informal social control questions in the Neighborhood Informant Study questionnaire asked participants about how much they believed they would or their neighbor would help another. The fear of crime questions in the Neighborhood Informant Study questionnaire asked participants about how much they fear crime in their neighborhood and what type of precautions did they undertake in order to avoid being a victim of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Central to social disorganization theory are the neighborhood mechanisms that reduce crime and disorder. Foremost among these are residents’ social ties and the degree to which people exercise social control in their neighborhoods. Social ties and informal control are theorized as mediating the effects of exogenous sources of social disorganization (e.g., poverty, residential instability, ethnic heterogeneity) on neighborhood crime. Examples of informal control include residents’ efforts to prevent or sanction disorderly…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the journal article “Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods” by David J. Harding, Harding (2009) suggests that disadvantaged neighborhoods influence how adolescents make romantic and educational decisions. Adolescents are also more likely socialized with the more accessible older people in the neighborhood who don’t have a job, and work on the streets. The young people feel that socializing with older men in their community that work in the “underground” economy helps with navigation through the dangerous streets and the older men influence their decision.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the study, the research findings showed that twins that stayed in the same household weren’t more alike than twins who were split up and reunited in their adult years. This means the time they were split up didn’t change how they react or behave. I believe nature overruled nurture in this article and research because clearly it shows just because two twins live together doesn’t mean they act any better than twins who were…

    • 359 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Faggins, B. (2001). Temple University study shatters theory on neighborhood decline and criminal behavior. Book review: Breaking away from broken windows. Retrieved May 1, 2003, from: http://www.temple.edu/news_media/bf108.html.…

    • 8153 Words
    • 33 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The biological approach to aggression includes the belief that genetic factors play a role in aggressive behaviour and lies within an individual’s genetic make-up. There is supporting evidence of a genetic component of aggression. Psychologists have looked at twin studies to try and find evidence for a genetic basis o compare the degree of similarity of aggression between sets of monozygotic (MZ) twins and dizygotic (DZ) twins. In general it was found that aggressive behaviour is more highly correlated in MZ twins than DZ twins. For example, Gottesman found a concordance rate of 87% for aggressive behaviour for MZ twin pairs, compared with 72% for DZ twin pairs. However, solely relying on evidence from twin studies can be problematic as it is hard to disentangle nature and nurture. It has been suggested that MZ twins are treated more alike and share more similar environments than DZ twins due to them acting more like 'one' person rather than two separate people. This may affect how alike they are and how likely they both are to express aggression.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The community I have chosen for this paper is The South ward of Newark, New Jersey where the hospital which I work is located. Newark is an urban community consists of primarily of African American and Hispanic population. The South Ward of Newark and contains 17 public schools, five daycare centers, three branch libraries, one police precinct, and three fire houses (City of Newark New Jersey, 2013). The city’s property and violet crime levels tend to be higher than New Jersey’s average level (Newark, NJ Profile, 2013). Observation of this community through a window shield survey gave me the impression there were several social and health concerns.…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Social Disorganization Theory provides that if relationships in the family and friendship groupings are good, neighborhoods are stable and cohesive, and people have a sense of loyalty to the area, then social organization is sound. When these standards are lacking there is social disorganization. These theory list four key elements that constitute social disorganization. The first is low economic status. The second is a mix between different ethnic groups. The third is highly mobile residents moving in and out of the area. The fourth is disrupted families and broken rates (or epidemiology) of crime and delinquency. This theory explains much of the crime in inner cities. One great example of this can be seen in the case of James Darby. The theory also emphasizes the role of the community in the development of social norms and individual conduct. This theory explains the development of subcultures and how their values differ from those of mainstream society. This theory, however, does not explain criminals who grew up in communities like the suburbs or in extremely rich sections of towns and still commit crimes. This theory is extremely helpful in given possible ways of helping reduce crime rates (i.e. community outreach programs, neighborhood watches, etc). The basic tenant is the community taken a more active role in their community and its members. On a scale of 1-5, this theory rates a 4. While, it explains a portion of crime it does not explain all crime or give reduction techniques that have proven to reduce crime rates by a convincing number.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Community policing is, in essence, a collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and solves community problems” (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994, p. vii). Throughout the years, community policing has become a more popular strategy to help law enforcement officials control and deter crime; however, some areas across the United States has had problems in the past with communities and law enforcement working together to ensure a secure and safe environment. Although it is an officer’s duty to maintain order, keep the peace, and solve problems within the area he or she is patrolling, it is also necessary for the people of the community to come together to help prevent crime. Everyone wants to feel safe in his or her place of dwelling and know that he or she has individuals who will serve and protect the area. Ergo, when problems occur between law enforcement and communities, the citizens develop a stigma against law officials and do not want to help solve or prevent criminal acts. On the other side, when law enforcement officials develop a positive rapport with the community, the citizens are more likely to come forward to help solve crimes or problems that evolve within the neighborhood. Community policing is a necessary program to have within a community and many neighborhoods have adopted these programs.…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abstract: The Identical Twin Study seeks to identify genetic and environmental influences on the development of psychological traits. The value of the research was the ability to estimate the inheritability of certain traits, including academic ability, personality, interests, family and social relationships, & mental and physical health. Children who are orphaned, fostered, or adopted may have certain behavior or inheritable traits activated by certain environmental factors or adopted parents, but only within the limitations of their genes. Identical twins reared away from his or her co-twin seem to have about an equal chance of being similar to the co-twin in terms of personality, interests, and attitudes as one who has been reared with his or her co-twin. This leads to the conclusion that the similarities between twins are due to genes, not environment.…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As we evaluate the effectiveness of the neighborhood watch program in the City of Bird Island, Minnesota we will try to persuade the mayor of Bird Island of how effective the neighborhood watch program has been thus far. Over the past few years the crime statistics have shown that the crime rate has continued to rise throughout the state of Minnesota. However, with the staggering numbers constantly growing, Bird Island has kept low numbers of crime statically that have been committed in Bird Island. The neighborhood watch program in the City of Bird Island has shown to be very proactive in deterring crime.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ronald W. Glensor and Kenneth Peak. “Lasting impact: Maintaining Neighborhood Order.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. V 67 (March 1998) 2.…

    • 3945 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    One of the major issues that a researcher of nature vs. nurture dilemma encounters is determining how much influence genes and environment have on traits (Santrock, 2009). It is somewhat difficult to determine whether a trait is formed through heredity or from the environment (Ceci & Williams, 2000). One way in which researchers go about the process is by studying twins. Researchers study the behavioral similarities between identical twins and that of fraternal twins. Fraternal twins are no more genetically alike than regular brothers and sisters while identical twins are…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Clifford R. Shaw and Henry D. McKay (107) observed Juvenile Delinquency in urban areas, and one of the first things they discussed in their chapter was the different values in separate economic areas of the city, and how the socioeconomic status contributes to the amount of crime. Secondly, they discussed differential social organization, which includes the differences in values between the communities (Shaw and McKay). A Theory of Race, Crime and Urban inequality is explained by Robert J. Sampson and William Julius Wilson (114) and they discussed the effects of community structure of race and crime in urban areas. Another thing that Sampson and Wilson (116) debated was the ecological concentration of race and social dislocations. Finally, they discuss the structure of…

    • 1176 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Police Stereotypes

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages

    "Poor police-community relations adversely affect the ability of the police to prevent crime and apprehend criminals. People hostile to the police are not so likely to report violations of the law, even when they are the victims. They are even less likely to report suspicious persons or incidents, to testify as witnesses voluntarily, or to come forward and provide information ... . Yet citizen assistance is crucial to law enforcement agencies if the police are to solve an appreciable portion of the crimes that are committed." (Sullivan, Dunham, & Alpert, 1987).…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Displacement Essay

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages

    They argued that since the “specific characteristics of places and the development of human connections to place discouraged the displacement of crime (Weisburd and Telep, 2012, pp.145)”, and this discouragement was especially reasonable since the crime hotspots were not only concentrated in the micro-environment but also stayed stable over time. Besides the displacement, this study also discussed the diffusion of benefits like the other two, and illustrated that the situational crime prevention strategies would not only influence the potential criminals’ psychological judgments and real actions, but also motivate informal social surveillance, which could discourage the potential criminal actions. So, displacement was not likely to happen…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics