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In this program, Dr. Mercy will discuss studies performed with identical and fraternal twins as participants. If you have been a participant in a twin study perhaps through one of the large registries that exist through the United States and the world, we would love to hear your experiences. Twin studies can be cross-sectional or longitudinal; they often focus on the interrelationship among genetics, shared environment, and non-shared environment in order to determine the relative effects on personality, aptitudes, life experiences, and health. Some studies have been done with MRI technology to measure the size of fetal brains. Dr. Mercy will cover these resources and will also discuss the recent findings that identical twin DNA is not necessarily identical; she welcomes callers to discuss the implications of such results for society and the twins themselves. She will also report on various twin registries across the world, their purposes, and some results of the longitudinal studies that these registries are used to conduct.
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This program will fascinate the parents of twins particularly because Mike Poff and his wife Pam are raising quads plus three more children. If we ever thought our hands were full, we must wonder how Mike and Pam balance farming, jobs, and children. Mike is going to provide an inside view of his wonderful life in the Blue Ridge Mountains. How do the children manage? What roles do they play? What do the quads think about their special status? How do the quads interrelate? Does every child have a horse and a dog or does everyone share? How do the mom and dad coordinate their activities? Who makes what decisions? How do they handle conflict and discipline? How wild and crazy can life be? What keeps them strong? Tune in and find out how the Poff family works! Mike is our special guest, father, and author. Follow him on his blogs! He is a member of the Linked In Twins group along with Dr. Mercy. Bio: Mike Poff is a Virginia at-home-father of quadruplets plus three and gentleman farmer. He and his wife Pam, seven children, eight horses, six cats, nine dogs and a smattering of cattle live an interesting, full and blessed life near the Crest of the Blue Ridge. Mike is a freelance writer ever spreading the rants, raves and insights of an at home dad of quads. Mike has a Bachelors Degree in Theology and Associates in Radio & TV Production. He worked for several years in the Roanoke VA media market for WVFT TV27, WBRA Public TV and WFIR/WPVR Radio. Mike has recently written for several magazines and newspapers all in his quest to encourage others in their faith, family and relational lives in general. Twins, Most, The Father Life and Prodigal Magazines have all carried Mike’s work.
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Tina Jenicek is a perfect example of a busy single mom with twins. Her twins are fraternal, a boy and girl 10 years old, attending day camp and learning everything they can at this marvelous age of industry and growth. We are all wondering if their genetic material and life experiences favor similarities or differences in personality, intelligence, and aptitude. Tina will describe her experiences with the twins from conception through elementary school. Our conversation will feature questions about the relationship between the twins, her closeness with each, the dominance and birth order myths, school placement, managing competition, ’best friends’, balancing work and home as a single mom, and all the questions that you have always wanted to ask about raising boy/girl twins. Tina also chairs the Florida Organization of Mothers of Twins in her spare time! She will discuss their services and supports for moms and dads of multiples. Call in with your questions to 1-866-613-1612.
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An interview with Sally Rhine Feather PhD on Twin Parapsychology. Dr. Feather is the eldest daughter of Joseph Banks Rhine and Louisa E Rhine, who are considered to be the founders of modern parapsychology. Feather served as a child subject at the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory founded by her father, and later worked there as a research assistant, both before and after attending college, and after obtaining a doctorate in experimental psychology from Duke University (1967). Her research topics included psi abilities of animals, correlation of memory and ESP performance, and help-hinder effects in a PK task. Following another lifelong interest, Feather obtained further training in clinical psychology at University of North Carolina in 1969 and devoted the next several decades to clinical psychology in mental health centers and private practice until retirement in 2004. A move back to North Carolina in the early 1990’s enabled her to get re-involved in the Rhine Research Center. Since 1994 she has served in various administrative capacities including the board of directors and for several years as volunteer executive director. She co-authored a popular book on ESP experiences (St. Martins, 2005) and received the 2010 Career Achievement Award from the Parapsychology Association.
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Dr. Mercy interviews Dr. Nancy Segal, Professor of Psychology and Director of Twin Studies at the California State University, Fullerton, will be discussing twins switched at birth. As a fraternal twin, psychologist and researcher, Dr. Segal has been uniquely positioned to perform ground-breaking studies on twins including her work at the University of Minnesota with twins separated at birth and reunited in adulthood and her most recent study on the development of Chinese twins adopted internationally both apart and together. Her other research has included the behavioral similarities of virtual twins (same age unrelated children raised together) and the behavioral consequences of twin loss. Dr. Segal is considered one of the foremost experts on the nature versus nurture controversy based on her quantitative studies of twins’ behaviors. Dr. Segal will be prepared to discuss the nature of twin relationships, twin development, twins accused of cheating at school, and twin relationships within the family. Dr. Nancy Segal has written seven books about twins. Dr. Segal has authored approximately 250 scientific articles and book chapters in addition to her many books. A recent paper won a 2007 Award for Excellence in Research from the Mensa Foundation. She is also an Associate Editor of Twin Research and Human Genetics, the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies. She serves on the editorial boards of a number of journals, including Twin Research and Human Genetics, Evolution and Human Behavior and Human Ethology.
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Sheldon Chrysler, identical twin and aviation expert, will discuss his new book Life after Death of My Twin: The Surviving Twin Story. He will describe his life as an identical twin while growing up as a child in Denver, Colorado. He will also talk about his successes and failures as an adult running an aviation business with his twin and later teaching aviation. He will also discuss his various certifications and licenses within the aviation field. Sheldon plans to share the process of writing the book about himself and Barry and what his life is like now without Barry. Given all the trials in his life, Sheldon will explain his secrets for maintaining a positive attitude about his life and continuing to honor his twin Barry. Dr. Mercy will ask him to identify his heroes and his deepest wishes for his own future. She will also ask Sheldon what he foresees for the future of twins and twinless twins within society and what we have to offer to our fellow human beings.
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Anabelle and Isabelle are 39-year-old female identical twins born with the chronic lung condition known as cystic fibrosis. The twins will tell the story of their lives as they grew from very tiny infants to the surviving and thriving women that they are today. Their story includes their treatments, twin relationship, love for each other, dedication to wellness, and assistance to others with cystic fibrosis. Their journeys have been long and sometimes hard; they have undertaken each step of the way with hope and faith that they would not only live but make a difference in the world. Guess what? Their dreams have come true and their impact has been world-wide. Listen to their musical voices tell the truth of twinship. And next week listen to the program The Power of Two to learn about cystic fibrosis, their book and their movie about organ donation.
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Pt 2: Ana and Isa 39-year-old identical twins have graciously agreed to guest on another program to spotlight their book and movie... Pt 1: Anabelle and Isabelle are 39-year-old female identical twins born with the chronic lung condition known as cystic fibrosis. The twins will tell the story of their lives as they grew from very tiny infants to the surviving and thriving women that they are today. Their story includes their treatments, twin relationship, love for each other, dedication to wellness, and assistance to others with cystic fibrosis. Their journeys have been long and sometimes hard; they have undertaken each step of the way with hope and faith that they would not only live but make a difference in the world. Guess what? Their dreams have come true and their impact has been world-wide. Listen to their musical voices tell the truth of twinship. And next week listen to the program The Power of Two to learn about cystic fibrosis, their book and their movie about organ donation.
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Dr. Bob Van de Castle, the King of Dreams, has agreed to discuss the methods and results of the dissertation ‘Do Twins Dreams Twin Dreams?: A Quantitative Comparison with Single’s Dreams’ which Dr. Mercy wrote for her PhD at Capella University. The research compared 164 dreams of female identical twins with the dreams of female norms developed by Hall and Van de Castle to support the content analysis of dreams. Hundreds of researchers have used these scales and norms, making them the most widely used quantitative tools in dream study. Dr. Mercy will present the methods and significant results with commentary by Dr. Van de Castle. Dr. Van de Castle participated in many laboratory studies of dream telepathy and was considered one of the best telepathic senders. He will reminisce about his experiences as lab subject with the greatest dream researchers of our era. He will also present his ideas for future twin research and his own plans as scientist and author.