Twin children with unfamiliar partners: genotypic and gender influences on cooperation

This study applied a social-genetic perspective to examine hypotheses concerning displays of cooperation. The sample included children from 14 monozygotic and 16 dizygotic twin pairs, organized into 30 unfamiliar partnerships. Two puzzle completion sessions were videotaped and evaluated on five dimensions of cooperation. Repeated measures of analysis of variance indicated significantly higher ratings among female than male pairs on Overall Cooperation, Mutuality of Goal and Accommodation. Contrary to expectation, social-interactional differences between unfamiliar MZ and DZ dyads were not detected. Findings are discussed with reference to new research perspectives on cooperative behavior.