IMPRS DOCTORAL DEFENCE: Lucía de Hoyos Gonzalez

Open to the public for in-person attendance as well as via live-stream.
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Abstract

Social behaviour is ubiquitous in human life. Since early stages of life, infants engage in social interactions, and these interactions serve as a gateway to develop language, motor, emotional, and cognitive abilities, among others. In addition, other related domains, such as music engagement (e.g. singing to infants), support and facilitate infant development. Adequate social development is associated with positive outcomes and well-being later in life. At the extreme of the social behaviour spectrum lie social difficulties, which are often characteristic of many neurodevelopmental conditions. The work presented in this thesis demonstrates that social behaviour is genetically complex, with shared genetic factors influencing related developmental domains and neurodevelopmental conditions. The findings highlight the role common genetic influences have in shaping social behaviour across different social settings and developmental stages. Future research should consider the multi-faceted nature of social behaviour and its genetic underpinnings to better understand its role in human development and associated conditions, as well as extend this research to non-European populations.