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Environmental contributions to preschoolers' semantic fluency

  1. Gitit Kavé1,
  2. Moran Shalmon2,
  3. Ariel Knafo2,*

Article first published online: 20 NOV 2012

DOI: 10.1111/desc.12010

Issue

Developmental Science

Developmental Science

Volume 16, Issue 1, pages 124–135, January 2013

Additional Information

How to Cite

Kavé, G., Shalmon, M. and Knafo, A. (2013), Environmental contributions to preschoolers' semantic fluency. Developmental Science, 16: 124–135. doi: 10.1111/desc.12010

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Education and Psychology, The Open University, Raanana, Israel

  2. 2

    Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

*Address for correspondence: Ariel Knafo, Psychology Department, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel; e-mail: msarielk@mscc.huji.ac.il

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 21 DEC 2012
  2. Article first published online: 20 NOV 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 19 AUG 2012
  4. Manuscript Received: 21 MAY 2012

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Abstract

Semantic fluency was examined in Hebrew-speaking 5-year-old monozygotic and dizygotic twins (N = 396, 198 pairs), 22% of them with mother-reported speech-related problems. There were positive correlations of similar magnitudes among monozygotic, same-sex dizygotic, and opposite-sex dizygotic twins. Analyses showed no genetic effects, alongside significant shared (39%) and non-shared environmental (61%) effects on fluency scores. The presence of speech-related problems in one twin affected the fluency score of the co-twin. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that parental education and length of stay at daycare significantly predicted fluency scores. We suggest that semantic fluency performance is highly affected by environmental factors at age 5 although genetic effects might emerge later on.

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