PROJECT SUMMARY
Cultural processes within the family influence behavior and cognition among all human groups and are
theorized to be important for children's socioemotional development. The extent to which children subscribe to
their family's values and practices (family orientation) is a cultural process that could have significant
implications for children's development. Although these values are found to be important for Hispanic/Latinx
and Asian American families, they have also been identified across racial/ethnic groups, suggesting the
tremendous heterogeneity that exists both between and within groups. Self-regulation is a salient aspect of
children's socioemotional functioning and is predictive of multiple positive outcomes throughout the lifespan,
including academic achievement and social competence. It is imperative to elucidate processes that can
bolster children's self-regulation. It has been theorized that cultural variation within the family shapes children's
self-regulatory competence in early childhood, yet less is known about how these processes shape
development in middle childhood. Twin study designs have a unique potential to elucidate these processes,
demonstrating the role of additive genes and the nonshared environment in explaining differences in self-
regulatory behaviors. However, many twin studies have neglected the role of cultural processes that could
influence those estimates.
Using a large, demographically diverse sample of twins in middle childhood, this NRSA fellowship
proposes the development of novel measures of family orientation, to examine the relation between family
orientation and self-regulation, and test whether family orientation influences the genetic and environmental
contributions to self-regulation. My training objectives are to 1) obtain a deeper conceptual understanding of
the role of cultural processes within the family in the development of children's self-regulation, 2) receive
training in behavioral coding techniques, 3) obtain advanced quantitative training, and 4) receive additional
professional development and ethics training. Developing novel measures of culture within the family affords
researchers the opportunity to identify particular contexts that promote children's self-regulatory behaviors
which can be targeted in prevention and intervention to enhance self-regulation and well-being.