Chinese Twin Children Reared Apart and Reunited: First Prospective Study of Co-Twin Reunions

Segal, Nancy L.; Stohs, Joanne Hoven; Evans, Kara

doi:10.1080/10926755.2011.557953

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Based on data from the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart, I also showed that MZA twins expressed greater closeness and familiarity than dizygotic reared apart (DZA) twins, and that both types of twins felt closer to their newly found co-twins than to the unrelated siblings with whom they had been raised (Segal, 2012). More recently, I obtained parental observations of young Chinese twins meeting and leaving one another for the first time (Segal et al, 2011). Only 10 pairs were available at the time (5 MZA and 5 DZA), too few to organize the data by zygosity.…”

Section: Twin Reunions: the Science Behind The Fascinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twin Reunions: The Science Behind the Fascination/Twin Research Reports: Altitude and Hypoxia; Twin Pregnancy Outcomes; Space Mission/Media Highlights: Chinese Twins Reunited; Twin Loss Discovered; Hidden Twins; Twin Euthanasia; Twin Savior

Segal

2013

Twin Res Hum Genet

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A description of the unique qualitative features of reunions between separated monozygotic twins is presented. The scientific implications of these observations are considered with reference to understanding human social behavior in general. This is followed by summaries of twin research on altitude and hypoxia, pregnancy outcomes, and space travel. Finally, recent accounts of twins in the media are noted; in particular, a rare reunion of adult monozygotic male Chinese twins, a novelist's personal discovery of twin loss, two renowned but 'hidden' twins, the moving story of an identical Belgian pair, and a twin savior.

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Section: Twin Reunions: the Science Behind The Fascinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twin Reunions: The Science Behind the Fascination/Twin Research Reports: Altitude and Hypoxia; Twin Pregnancy Outcomes; Space Mission/Media Highlights: Chinese Twins Reunited; Twin Loss Discovered; Hidden Twins; Twin Euthanasia; Twin Savior

Segal

2013

Twin Res Hum Genet

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“…A modest, but consistent, contribution of the shared family environment to individual differences in IQ has been observed. The latest analysis yielded an intraclass correlation of 0.28 (n = 142 pairs; Segal et al, 2011). This correlation is based on a sample composed mostly of young children, so it is likely that the magnitude of the correlation will decrease as they age.…”

Section: Fullerton Virtual Twin Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The availability of data on young Chinese twins raised apart and together, collected at CSUF, is also enabling a series of unique analyses (see Segal et al, 2011). Twin-Virtual Twin comparison of similarity in behavioral responses to adoption and early infant behaviors is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Tony Tan (Department of Educational Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida).…”

Section: Current and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fullerton Virtual Twin Study: An Update

et al. 2012

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Virtual twins (VTs) are same-age unrelated siblings reared together from early infancy. These unique sibling sets replicate twinship, but without the genetic link. The first VT pair was identified and studied at the University of Minnesota in 1990, launching the development of the Fullerton Virtual Twin Study at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) in 1991. The registry currently includes 151 pairs, mostly children, with new pairs identified on a continuous basis. Research with VTs includes studies of general intelligence, body size, interpersonal trust, social coordination, social networks, and parenting. In some cases, VTs have been studied in conjunction with pairs of monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins, full siblings, and friends as part of TAPS (Twins, Adoptees, Peers and Siblings), a collaborative project conducted between CSUF and the University of San Francisco, 2002Francisco, -2006. VTs will also serve as a comparison group for epigenetic analyses of young Chinese twins reared apart and together. Keywords: virtual twins, adoptees, twins, intelligence, epigenetic analyses Virtual Twins (VTs): An OverviewVTs are same-age unrelated siblings, reared together from early infancy. They are unique sibling sets in that they replicate twinship, but without the genetic link, offering a direct estimate of environmental influence on variation in behavioral and physical traits (Holden, 2000). VTs are, in fact, the opposite of monozygotic (MZ) reared apart twins who share 100% of their genes, but are raised in different environments. VTs are a more informative comparison group with twin samples because, like twins and unlike ordinary adoptive siblings, VTs are the same age and share residential histories.VTs are broadly classified as one of two types: adoptivebiological or adoptive-adoptive. Families facing conception difficulties may seek adoption and reproductive technologies simultaneously, yielding adoptive-biological pairs. Alternatively, families seeking adoption only may be offered two children, resulting in adoptive-adoptive sets. VTs have also been configured in more unusual ways, such as: (1) sperm donation for maternal surrogacy, coupled with adoption; (2) unrelated embryo transfer, plus adoption; and (3) natural conceptions by same-sex female partners, via different males. In several cases, the adoption or delivery of twins or triplets plus the adoption or delivery of a nontwin child has yielded multiple VT sets within families.The Fullerton Virtual Twin Study (FVTS) currently includes 151 VT pairs, of which 98 or 65% are adoptiveadoptive. Opposite-and same-sex pairs occur with approximately equal frequency, as shown in Table 1. The mean age of the siblings is 7.79 years, SD = 8.01, with a range of 4.01 to 54.84 years. (Mean age is based on 291 individuals, following elimination of siblings who are members of more than one pair.) The majority of individuals (72.5%) are, however, less than 7 years of age. The mean age difference between siblings is 3.19 months (SD = 2.78), with a range of 0 to 9.87...

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“…The twins and their families are participating in the study of Chinese Twins Adopted Apart at California State University, Fullerton (Segal et al, 2011). The sample now includes nearly 20 twin pairs, fairly evenly divided between MZ and DZ sets.…”

Section: Twin Research and Human Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reared-Apart Chinese Twins: Chance Discovery/Twin-Based Research: Twin Study of Media Use; Twin Relations Over the Life Span; Breast-Feeding Opposite-Sex Twins/Print and Online Media: Twins in Fashion; Second Twin Pair Born to Tennis Star; Twin Primes; Twin Pandas

Segal

2017

Twin Res Hum Genet

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A January 2017 reunion of 10-year-old reared-apart Chinese twin girls was captured live on ABC's morning talk show Good Morning America, and rebroadcast on their evening news program Nightline. The twins’ similarities and differences, and their participation in ongoing research will be described. This story is followed by reviews of twin research concerning genetic and environmental influences on media use, twin relations across the lifespan and the breast-feeding of opposite-sex twins. Popular interest items include twins in fashion, the second twin pair born to an internationally renowned tennis star, twin primes and twin pandas.

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Chinese Twin Children Reared Apart and Reunited: First Prospective Study of Co-Twin Reunions

Cited by 18 publications

References 32 publications

Twin Reunions: The Science Behind the Fascination/Twin Research Reports: Altitude and Hypoxia; Twin Pregnancy Outcomes; Space Mission/Media Highlights: Chinese Twins Reunited; Twin Loss Discovered; Hidden Twins; Twin Euthanasia; Twin Savior

Twin Reunions: The Science Behind the Fascination/Twin Research Reports: Altitude and Hypoxia; Twin Pregnancy Outcomes; Space Mission/Media Highlights: Chinese Twins Reunited; Twin Loss Discovered; Hidden Twins; Twin Euthanasia; Twin Savior

Fullerton Virtual Twin Study: An Update

Reared-Apart Chinese Twins: Chance Discovery/Twin-Based Research: Twin Study of Media Use; Twin Relations Over the Life Span; Breast-Feeding Opposite-Sex Twins/Print and Online Media: Twins in Fashion; Second Twin Pair Born to Tennis Star; Twin Primes; Twin Pandas

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