Aurreko ekintzak: Elsje van Bergen. Gene-environment interplay in reading development

What: Gene-environment interplay in reading development.

Where: BCBL auditorium (and BCBL Auditorium zoom room)) (If you would like to attend to this meeting reserve at info@bcbl.eu)

Who: Elsje van Bergen. PhD, Associate Professor, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

When:  Thursday, Nov 14th at 12:00 h.

Elsje van Bergen’s research explores the intricate interplay between nature and nurture in shaping individual differences in learning abilities. Her talk will showcase genetically-informed studies that challenge simplistic causal attributions between environmental experiences (e.g., at home) and language outcomes (e.g., reading skills). She will demonstrate how children’s reading ability influences reading enjoyment, more so than vice versa. Next, she will show why parental educational attainment predicts teenagers’ reading comprehension. Additionally, Dr. van Bergen will highlight the potential of early interventions in reducing reading difficulties. In studying gene-environment interplay, she uses both family-based designs (e.g., twin studies) and DNA-based designs (using polygenic scores).