Cooperative behavior: comparative analysis of parental report and twins and non-twins sibiling's interaction observation

• Grant number: 20/07660-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2020
• End date: June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Experimental Psychology
• Agreement: Natura
• Principal Investigator: Emma Otta
• Grantee: Caroline Aparecida Grecco de Almeida
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50282-5 - Positive psychology and neuroscience: translational research to promote well-being and emotional regulation, AP.PCPE

Abstract

Taking into account the current brazilian social isolation context and the necessity to adapt to this new situation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, remote data collection has shown to be a possibility to be explored. This study's objective is to investigate if aspects of twins and non twins relationship, reported by parents through the Twin Relationship Questionnaire, correlate to cooperative behaviours expressed during a drawing task, to be applied and filmed by parents. The hypothesis is that parental report will consider monozygotic twins (MZ) more dependent and closer when compared to dizygotic twins (DZ) and non twins, and that particularities of the relationship between siblings will rise during the proposed activity by means of more or less cooperative behaviours. To verify this, we will invite 6 to 10 years old children's parents, twins and non twins with maximum of 2 years apart, to answer the Twin Relationship Questionnaire, in order to identify five aspects of the siblings' relationship (closeness, dependence, rivalty, conflict and dominance) to each subject in the pair. Twin parents will also answer the Parents adapted Zygosity Questionnaire, that counts with 95% DNA concordance, to ascertain the pair zygosity. Besides, we will develop a Research Protocol to parents intended to instruct them to apply a Conjoint Drawing activity. This activity consists of a drawing produced together by the pair of siblings, in one piece of paper, which process will be filmed by parents and sent to USP Twins Panel. The task will also count with the creation of a title and a story about the drawing. (AU)