Study of the early development of twins: characterization of social-emotional, cognitive, and psychomotor indicators

• Grant number: 25/11761-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Human Development Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Emma Otta
• Grantee: Jennifer Leão Correia
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/02107-6 - The University of São Paulo twin panel: research on twins' behavior, health, and well-being, AP.TEM

Abstract

Prospective developmental research in infants during the first year of life is a topic of contemporary studies, yet there is a lack of Brazilian research on this subject, especially involving twins. It is expected that dyadic interaction serves as an important stimulus for the development of social and cognitive skills. However, little is known about the development of dyadic interactions among same-age children before their first year of life. This study aims to characterize socially directed behaviors (SDBs) between twin siblings and to assess their development in terms of socioemotional, cognitive, and language indicators, using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Third Edition (Bayley-III) at 3 and 6 months of age. From a psychoethological perspective, data will be collected during home visits, allowing for observations within the children's familiar, everyday environment and ensuring the ecological validity of the findings. It is expected that by 3 months of age, twins will show engagement in intra-pair social interactions, with notable sequential acquisitions and transformations by 6 months. This research is part of the FAPESP Thematic Project "USP Twin Panel: Research on Behavior, Health, and Well-being of Twins" (Grant No. 2022/02107-6), which runs from 2023 to 2028. The thematic project includes researchers in psychology, with expertise in human ethology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience, as well as in medicine, with expertise in obstetrics, fetal medicine, neonatology, and pediatrics. (AU)