Biosketch
I decided to become a psychology major as an undergraduate when I realized that I could use my strength and interest in math and science to better understand human behavior. To be able to spend my entire career studying behavior by applying what we know from biology, genetics, and physiology, and teaching others about what I find, seemed too good to be true! It still does!
In addition to my research and teaching, I have also been involved in initiatives designed to improve teaching and learning at Case, especially the Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship (SAGES) program. Currently I spend at least half of my time co-directing the SAGES program. This has been a tremendously rewarding experience for me as I work with colleagues and students across the many schools and departments at Case in an effort to fulfill our new vision.
Research Interests
The primary focus of my research is to explain what makes each of us unique in terms of genetic and environmental causes. Most of my work has explored the development of cognitive skills, temperament, and language from infancy through childhood using siblings, twins and most recently molecular genetic techniques. I am particularly interested in how the genetic code is translated into complex behavior at the level of brain function. I have two collaborative studies ongoing in my laboratory funded through the Pennsylvania State University and the National Institutes of Health. One explores early environmental influences on reading skills in twins using a longitudinal design. The second study, explores math skills in twins and their parents. Please visit my laboratory website for more details on these studies.
Courses Taught
- PSCL 101 - General Psychology
- PSCL 230 - Child Psychology
- PSCL 282 - Quantitative Methods
- PSCL 350 - Introduction to Behavior Genetics
- PSCL 453 - Advanced Behavior Genetics
- PSCL 453 - Developmental Behavior Genetics
- PSCL 453 - Cognitive Neuropsychology
Recent, Representative Publications
Ball, D., Hill, L., Eley, T.C., Chorney, M. J., Chorney, K., Thompson, L. A., Detterman, D. K., Benbow, C., Lubinski, D., Owen, M., McGuffin, Plomin, R. (1998). Dopamine markers and general cognitive ability. Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology.
Chorney, M. J., Chorney, K., Seese, N., Owen, M. J., Daniels, J., McGuffin, P., Thompson, L. A. , Detterman, D. K., Benbow, C., Lubinski, D., Eley, T. C., & Plomin, R. (1998). A quantitative trait locus (QTL) associate with cognitive ability in children. Psychological Science , 9(3), 159-166.
Detterman, D. K., & Thompson, L. A. (1998). They doth protest too much. American Psychologist , 53(10), 1162-1163.
Hill, L., Asherson, P., Ball, D., Eley, T., Craig, I., Fisher, P.J., Turic, D., McGuffin, P., Owen, M.J., Chorney, K., Chorney, M. J., Benbow, C., Lubinski, D., Thompson, L. A. , & Plomin, R. (1999). DNA pooling and dense marker maps: A systematic search for genes for cognitive ability. NeuroReport , 10, 843-848.
Thompson, L. A. & Plomin, R. (2000). Genetic tools for exploring causes of individual differences in intelligence. In K. A. Heller, F. J. Monks, & A. H. Passow (Eds.), International Handbook of Research and Development of Giftedness and Talent , 2 nd Edition.
Plomin, R., Hill, L., Craig, I. W. McGuffin, P., Purcell, S., Sham, P., Lubinski, D., Thompson, L. A. , Fisher, P. J., Turic, D., & Owen, M. J. (2001). A genome-wide scan of 1842 DNA markers for allelic associations with general cognitive ability: A five-stage design using DNA pooling and extreme selected groups. Behavior Genetics , 31(6), 497-509.
Petrill, S. A., Luo, D., Thompson, L. A. , & Detterman, D. K. (2001). Inspection time and the relationship among elementary cognitive tasks, general intelligence and specific cognitive abilities. Intelligence , 29(6), 487-496.
Luo, D., Thompson, L. A. , & Detterman, D. K. (2003). Phenotypic and behavioral genetic covariation between elemental cognitive components and scholastic measures. Behavior Genetics , 33(3), p.221-246.
Tiu, R., Thompson, L. A. , & Lewis, B. (2003). Speed of processing, reading, and general intelligence. Journal of Learning Disabilities , 36(5), p.424-436.
Luo, D., Thompson, L. A. , & Detterman, D. K. (2003). The causal factor underlying the correlation between psychometric g and scholastic performance. Intelligence , 31(1), p.67-83.
Current Graduate Students
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