#117 Wendy Johnson: Genetics and Environment in Personality and Intelligence
Dr. Wendy Johnson is Professor of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She also holds the Chair in Differential Development in the University of Edinburgh’s Department of Psychology and Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology. She is known for her research on human intelligence and personality. In 2004, the International Society for Intelligence Research honored her with its John B. Carroll Award for Research Methodology. In 2011, she received the American Psychological Association’s Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology, in recognition of her work on the individual differences of intelligence and personality. Topics of her research include: structure of intelligence and personality, life-span development of intelligence and personality, health and aging, genetic and environmental transactions and their influence on behavior, intelligence, and personality.
In this episode, we talk mostly about personality traits and IQ. Topics include: the Big Five, and other personality traits inventories; the reliability of personality measures; the many ways genetics and the environment interact to build up our psychology; how our psychological traits are polygenic (influences by several genes); the influences of parents and other aspects of the environment; the effects of IQ and personality in old age, and the long-term benefits of high IQ and certain personality traits, like conscientiousness.
Time Links:
Big Five and other personality inventories
The earliest point in life to measure personality
Are questionnaires and reports reliable?
The interplay between genetics and the environment
Studies with twins and adoptees
The trouble with identifying genes associated with psychological traits
Are genetic effects greater after people leave their parents’ house?
Rich vs impoverished environments, and their effects
Old age, mental health, and personality
The long-term benefits of high IQ
Intelligence and health
But intelligence is not the same as wisdom. We also need other traits.
Follow Dr. Johnson’s work!
Follow Dr. Johnson’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/y8s5edrs
Articles on Researchgate: https://tinyurl.com/yaujlfk8