Current funding from the National Institutes of Health supports in-person data collection of the EGDS participants through child age 7 years and supports the additional recruitment and assessment of 200 adoptive triads and the collection of DNA from all participants. As the data become complete for each wave of assessment, we will examine the primary hypotheses involving environmental mediation, environmental moderation, and mechanisms of environmental moderation of genetic effects cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Our planned analysis approach will be systematic, in which composite indices are formed for each prespecified domain of functioning for each participant type. In addition, whenever possible, we will include observational data, self-report data, and other-report data to minimize potential method variance problems. The resulting set of analyses will provide novel information about the early precursors to problem behavior and competency in young children. As is described above, the majority of information about genotype–environment interplay has involved twin samples where evocative effects cannot be readily teased apart, has included individuals aged 5 or older, and/or has not focused specifically on the parenting and social environment of the adoptive
