Developmental aspects of task persistence and its relationship with reading skills

In this study, the etiology of stability and change in task persistence and also the relationship of task persistence with reading related skills were examined using a twin sample (N=367 pairs) from a longitudinal Western Reserve Reading project. Twins were in kindergarten or first grade during the first assessment, and they were followed every year for cognitive and behavioral assessments. This study was based on three waves of assessments. A task persistence composite was formed from teacher and tester ratings of the children's behavior observed at classroom and at home. Multivariate developmental genetic models were used to examine the genetic and non-genetic contributions to stability and change in task persistence. The findings suggested that genetic factors contributed to stability, and change was substantially due to nonshared environmental influences unique to individuals along with age-specific genetic influences at an earlier occasion. Quantitative differences in the genetic and environmental influences on task persistence were observed between boys and girls. In addition, relationships between task persistence, reading-related skills and general cognitive ability were modest. The relationships were mainly through genetic links and to some extent through nonshared environmental effects.