S Alexandra Burt
Biographic Data
| ID | 5461352 |
|---|---|
| NAME | S Alexandra Burt |
| GIVEN NAMES | S Alexandra |
| FAMILY NAME | Burt |
| SIGNATURE | BURT S A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Department of Psychology Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 72 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 20 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The nature and nurture of primary and secondary callous–unemotional traits
BACKGROUND: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits identify youth with more severe and chronic trajectories of conduct problems. However, the etiology of CU traits may be heterogeneous, undermining the search for effective treatments. The level of co-occurring anxiety has been used to identify "primary" (lower anxiety) versus "secondary" (higher anxiety) variants of CU traits. The primary variant has been hypothesized to emerge from strong genetic influ…
A person‐centered and genetically informed approach toward characterizing multidomain resilience to neighborhood disadvantage in youth
BACKGROUND: Examining resilience to adversity across multiple behavioral domains (e.g., psychological well-being, social functioning) can better characterize positive development and inform novel prevention and intervention efforts. However, few studies have employed person-centered methods to examine individual profiles of resilience across multiple domains in youth. Further, research exploring contextual predictors of resilience has rarely used…
Both stressors and assets moderated the etiology of mothers’ parenting during the pandemic
We sought to illuminate whether and how pandemic-related experiences shaped the genetic and environmental influences on mothering behavior to better understand the effects of stress on parenting. Participants included 710 mothers of twins ( M age = 47.00; SD age = 5.59; White: 84.8%, Black: 7%, Hispanic: 1.1%, Asian American and Pacific Islander: 0.8%, Native American: 0.8%, biracial: 0.3%, other: 3%, and not reported: 2.1%) from the Michigan Sta…
Self-reported food liking and wanting
Exposure to community violence as a mechanism linking neighborhood disadvantage to amygdala reactivity and the protective role of parental nurturance
Emerging literature links neighborhood disadvantage to altered neural function in regions supporting socioemotional and threat processing. Few studies, however, have examined the proximal mechanisms through which neighborhood disadvantage is associated with neural functioning. In a sample of 7- to 19-year-old twins recruited from disadvantaged neighborhoods (354 families, 708 twins; 54.5% boys; 78.5% White, 13.0% Black, 8.5% other racial/ethnic g…
Neighborhood features moderate genetic and environmental influences on children’s social information processing
Neighborhood is a key context where children learn to process social information; however, the field has largely overlooked the ways children's individual characteristics might be moderated by neighborhood effects. We examined 1,030 six- to 11-year-olds (48.7% female; 82% White) twin pairs oversampled for neighborhood disadvantage from the Twin Study of Behavioral and Emotional Development in Children. We evaluated neighbor reports ( N = 1,880) o…
Functional brain network organization and multidomain resilience to neighborhood disadvantage in youth
Though youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience greater risk for poor behavioral and mental health outcomes, many go on to show resilience in the face of adversity. A few recent studies have identified neural markers of resilience in cognitive and affective brain networks, yet the broader network organization supporting resilience in youth remains unknown, particularly in relation to neighborhood disadvantage. Moreover, most studies…
Parent Mental Health Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Parenting moderates the etiology of callous‐unemotional traits in middle childhood
BACKGROUND: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are associated with chronic and escalating trajectories of antisocial behavior. Extant etiologic studies suggest that heritability estimates for CU traits vary substantially, while also pointing to an environmental association between parenting and CU traits. METHODS: We used twin modeling to estimate additive genetic (A), shared environmental (C), and nonshared environmental (E) influences on CU traits…
Associations between neighborhood built, social, or toxicant conditions and child externalizing behaviors in the Detroit metro area
Built, social, and toxicant neighborhood conditions are not interchangeable aspects of a given neighborhood. What's more, built features are uniquely associated with child externalizing outcomes independently of other neighborhood characteristics. Future research should consider how changes in the built conditions of the neighborhood (e.g., development, decay) serve to shape child externalizing behaviors, with a focus on identifying potentially a…
Discrimination and Ethnic-Racial Socialization Among Youth Adopted From South Korea Into White American Families
The current study examined how discrimination relates to adjustment outcomes in a sample of internationally, transracially adopted Korean Americans from the Minnesota Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study (N = 456 adoptees; Mage at T1 = 14.9, Mage at T2 = 18.3, Mage at T3 = 22.3). The moderating roles of ethnic socialization and preparation for bias by parents (i.e., ethnic-racial socialization) were also examined. Results indicated that discrim…
A multi-method investigation of the personality correlates of digital aggression
Analysis of a mindset intervention
Parent depressive symptomatology moderates the etiology of externalizing behavior in childhood
Parent depressive symptomatology is robust risk factor for externalizing behavior in childhood (Goodman et al., 2011). Although the precise mechanisms underlying this association have yet to be fully illuminated, there is some evidence that parent depression can impact externalizing behavior via both genetic and environmental pathways. In the current study, we investigated the extent to which genetic and environmental influences on externalizing …
Behavior Genetics and the Within-Person Variability of Daily Interpersonal Styles
A classical twin study was used to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on four measurements of within-person variability, namely dominance flux, warmth flux, spin, and pulse. Flux refers to the variability of an individual’s interpersonal dominance and warmth. Spin measures changes in the tone of interpersonal styles, and pulse measures changes in the intensity of interpersonal styles. Daily reports of interpersonal sty…
Quantifying the association between personality similarity and marital adjustment using profile correlations
Are there shared environmental influences on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Reply to Wood, Buitelaar, Rijsdijk, Asherson, and Kuntsi (2010)
A recent large-scale meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies indicated that shared environmental influences make important contributions to most forms of child and adolescent psychopathology (Burt, 2009b). The sole exception to this robust pattern of results was observed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which appeared to be largely genetic (and particularly nonadditive genetic) in origin, with no observable influence of the…
Aggressive versus nonaggressive antisocial behavior
Research has supported the existence of distinct behavioral patterns, demographic correlates, and etiologic mechanisms for aggressive (AGG) versus nonaggressive but delinquent (DEL) antisocial behavior. Though behavioral genetic studies have the potential to further crystallize these dimensions, inconsistent results have limited their contribution. These inconsistencies may stem in part from the limited attention paid to the impact of age. In the…
Growth curve models for indistinguishable dyads using multilevel modeling and structural equation modeling
Growth modeling is a useful tool for studying change over time, and it is becoming increasingly popular with developmental researchers. There is a considerable methodological literature surrounding growth modeling for individuals; however, far less attention has been focused on growth models for pairs of related individuals (i.e., dyads). In this article, the authors consider dyadic growth models for those cases where there are no relevant variab…
Differential parent-child relationships and adolescent externalizing symptoms
Research has indicated that differential parental treatment is linked to differences in externalizing symptomology (EXT) across siblings, even those siblings who are genetically identical. However, the direction of causation and longitudinal significance of this relationship remains unclear. Thus, in the present study, the authors examined 486 monozygotic twin pairs, assessed at ages 11, 14, and 17 years, within a cross-lagged twin differences de…
Growth curve models for indistinguishable dyads using multilevel modeling and structural equation modeling
Growth modeling is a useful tool for studying change over time, and it is becoming increasingly popular with developmental researchers. There is a considerable methodological literature surrounding growth modeling for individuals; however, far less attention has been focused on growth models for pairs of related individuals (i.e., dyads). In this article, the authors consider dyadic growth models for those cases where there are no relevant variab…
Differential parent-child relationships and adolescent externalizing symptoms
Research has indicated that differential parental treatment is linked to differences in externalizing symptomology (EXT) across siblings, even those siblings who are genetically identical. However, the direction of causation and longitudinal significance of this relationship remains unclear. Thus, in the present study, the authors examined 486 monozygotic twin pairs, assessed at ages 11, 14, and 17 years, within a cross-lagged twin differences de…
Aggressive versus nonaggressive antisocial behavior
Research has supported the existence of distinct behavioral patterns, demographic correlates, and etiologic mechanisms for aggressive (AGG) versus nonaggressive but delinquent (DEL) antisocial behavior. Though behavioral genetic studies have the potential to further crystallize these dimensions, inconsistent results have limited their contribution. These inconsistencies may stem in part from the limited attention paid to the impact of age. In the…
Quantifying the association between personality similarity and marital adjustment using profile correlations
A multi-method investigation of the personality correlates of digital aggression
Parent depressive symptomatology moderates the etiology of externalizing behavior in childhood
Parent depressive symptomatology is robust risk factor for externalizing behavior in childhood (Goodman et al., 2011). Although the precise mechanisms underlying this association have yet to be fully illuminated, there is some evidence that parent depression can impact externalizing behavior via both genetic and environmental pathways. In the current study, we investigated the extent to which genetic and environmental influences on externalizing …
Differential parent-child relationships and adolescent externalizing symptoms
Research has indicated that differential parental treatment is linked to differences in externalizing symptomology (EXT) across siblings, even those siblings who are genetically identical. However, the direction of causation and longitudinal significance of this relationship remains unclear. Thus, in the present study, the authors examined 486 monozygotic twin pairs, assessed at ages 11, 14, and 17 years, within a cross-lagged twin differences de…
Growth curve models for indistinguishable dyads using multilevel modeling and structural equation modeling
Growth modeling is a useful tool for studying change over time, and it is becoming increasingly popular with developmental researchers. There is a considerable methodological literature surrounding growth modeling for individuals; however, far less attention has been focused on growth models for pairs of related individuals (i.e., dyads). In this article, the authors consider dyadic growth models for those cases where there are no relevant variab…
Aggressive versus nonaggressive antisocial behavior
Research has supported the existence of distinct behavioral patterns, demographic correlates, and etiologic mechanisms for aggressive (AGG) versus nonaggressive but delinquent (DEL) antisocial behavior. Though behavioral genetic studies have the potential to further crystallize these dimensions, inconsistent results have limited their contribution. These inconsistencies may stem in part from the limited attention paid to the impact of age. In the…
Are there shared environmental influences on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? Reply to Wood, Buitelaar, Rijsdijk, Asherson, and Kuntsi (2010)
A recent large-scale meta-analysis of twin and adoption studies indicated that shared environmental influences make important contributions to most forms of child and adolescent psychopathology (Burt, 2009b). The sole exception to this robust pattern of results was observed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which appeared to be largely genetic (and particularly nonadditive genetic) in origin, with no observable influence of the…
Quantifying the association between personality similarity and marital adjustment using profile correlations
Behavior Genetics and the Within-Person Variability of Daily Interpersonal Styles
A classical twin study was used to estimate the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences on four measurements of within-person variability, namely dominance flux, warmth flux, spin, and pulse. Flux refers to the variability of an individual’s interpersonal dominance and warmth. Spin measures changes in the tone of interpersonal styles, and pulse measures changes in the intensity of interpersonal styles. Daily reports of interpersonal sty…
Analysis of a mindset intervention
Parent depressive symptomatology moderates the etiology of externalizing behavior in childhood
Parent depressive symptomatology is robust risk factor for externalizing behavior in childhood (Goodman et al., 2011). Although the precise mechanisms underlying this association have yet to be fully illuminated, there is some evidence that parent depression can impact externalizing behavior via both genetic and environmental pathways. In the current study, we investigated the extent to which genetic and environmental influences on externalizing …
Discrimination and Ethnic-Racial Socialization Among Youth Adopted From South Korea Into White American Families
The current study examined how discrimination relates to adjustment outcomes in a sample of internationally, transracially adopted Korean Americans from the Minnesota Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study (N = 456 adoptees; Mage at T1 = 14.9, Mage at T2 = 18.3, Mage at T3 = 22.3). The moderating roles of ethnic socialization and preparation for bias by parents (i.e., ethnic-racial socialization) were also examined. Results indicated that discrim…
A multi-method investigation of the personality correlates of digital aggression
Parenting moderates the etiology of callous‐unemotional traits in middle childhood
BACKGROUND: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are associated with chronic and escalating trajectories of antisocial behavior. Extant etiologic studies suggest that heritability estimates for CU traits vary substantially, while also pointing to an environmental association between parenting and CU traits. METHODS: We used twin modeling to estimate additive genetic (A), shared environmental (C), and nonshared environmental (E) influences on CU traits…
Associations between neighborhood built, social, or toxicant conditions and child externalizing behaviors in the Detroit metro area
Built, social, and toxicant neighborhood conditions are not interchangeable aspects of a given neighborhood. What's more, built features are uniquely associated with child externalizing outcomes independently of other neighborhood characteristics. Future research should consider how changes in the built conditions of the neighborhood (e.g., development, decay) serve to shape child externalizing behaviors, with a focus on identifying potentially a…
Parent Mental Health Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Self-reported food liking and wanting
Exposure to community violence as a mechanism linking neighborhood disadvantage to amygdala reactivity and the protective role of parental nurturance
Emerging literature links neighborhood disadvantage to altered neural function in regions supporting socioemotional and threat processing. Few studies, however, have examined the proximal mechanisms through which neighborhood disadvantage is associated with neural functioning. In a sample of 7- to 19-year-old twins recruited from disadvantaged neighborhoods (354 families, 708 twins; 54.5% boys; 78.5% White, 13.0% Black, 8.5% other racial/ethnic g…
Neighborhood features moderate genetic and environmental influences on children’s social information processing
Neighborhood is a key context where children learn to process social information; however, the field has largely overlooked the ways children's individual characteristics might be moderated by neighborhood effects. We examined 1,030 six- to 11-year-olds (48.7% female; 82% White) twin pairs oversampled for neighborhood disadvantage from the Twin Study of Behavioral and Emotional Development in Children. We evaluated neighbor reports ( N = 1,880) o…
Functional brain network organization and multidomain resilience to neighborhood disadvantage in youth
Though youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience greater risk for poor behavioral and mental health outcomes, many go on to show resilience in the face of adversity. A few recent studies have identified neural markers of resilience in cognitive and affective brain networks, yet the broader network organization supporting resilience in youth remains unknown, particularly in relation to neighborhood disadvantage. Moreover, most studies…
Both stressors and assets moderated the etiology of mothers’ parenting during the pandemic
We sought to illuminate whether and how pandemic-related experiences shaped the genetic and environmental influences on mothering behavior to better understand the effects of stress on parenting. Participants included 710 mothers of twins ( M age = 47.00; SD age = 5.59; White: 84.8%, Black: 7%, Hispanic: 1.1%, Asian American and Pacific Islander: 0.8%, Native American: 0.8%, biracial: 0.3%, other: 3%, and not reported: 2.1%) from the Michigan Sta…
The nature and nurture of primary and secondary callous–unemotional traits
BACKGROUND: Callous-unemotional (CU) traits identify youth with more severe and chronic trajectories of conduct problems. However, the etiology of CU traits may be heterogeneous, undermining the search for effective treatments. The level of co-occurring anxiety has been used to identify "primary" (lower anxiety) versus "secondary" (higher anxiety) variants of CU traits. The primary variant has been hypothesized to emerge from strong genetic influ…
A person‐centered and genetically informed approach toward characterizing multidomain resilience to neighborhood disadvantage in youth
BACKGROUND: Examining resilience to adversity across multiple behavioral domains (e.g., psychological well-being, social functioning) can better characterize positive development and inform novel prevention and intervention efforts. However, few studies have employed person-centered methods to examine individual profiles of resilience across multiple domains in youth. Further, research exploring contextual predictors of resilience has rarely used…
Psychology (18 works) · Developmental psychology (13 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (9 works) · Clinical Psychology (7 works) · Cognitive Abilities and Testing (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Psychiatry (5 works) · Behavioural genetics (4 works) · Clinical Psychology (4 works)