Dr William Coventry
Lecturer, School of Behavioural and Cognitive and Social Sciences
Qualifications
B Ag Eco, University of Sydney; Grad Dip Soc Sci, University of New England; 1st class Honors in Arts (Psych major), University of Queensland; Ph.D., University of New England
Contact
| Email: | william.coventry@une.edu.au |
| Room: | Psychology - North Wing (S7) G09 |
| Phone: | 02 6773 2846 (or +61 2 6773 2846 overseas) |
| Fax: | 02 6773 3820 |
Areas of Teaching
PSYC 302 Advanced Research Methods and Statistics
PSYC 399 Special Topics in Psychological Research
PSYC 4th Year Reading Course: Behavioural Genetics
Research interests
Dr Coventry research is primarily in quantitative genetics: using twin and family studies to tease apart the influence of genes and the environment in explaining individual differences. Current research is on the NAPLAN tests (school assessments of literacy and numeracy): assessing if individual differences on these tests are genetic or environmental in origin. Previous research involved in researching all aspects of literacy in young children (i.e. prior to and during the early years of school) and their environmental correlates and interactions. As a by-product of this research, research was conducted in the genetic and environmental etiology of second language acquisition.
Supervision Areas
Representative Publications
Byrne B, Wadsworth S, Boehme K, Talk AC, Coventry WL, Olson RK, Samuelsson S, Corley R. (in press). Multivariate genetic analysis of learning and early reading development, Scientific Studies of Reading.
Coventry WL, Anton-Mendez I, Ellis E, Levisen C, Byrne B, & van Daal V, E. N. (in press). The etiology of individual differences in second language acquisition in Australian school students: A Behaviour-genetic Study. Language Learning.
Coventry WL, Byrne B, Olson RK, Corley R, & Samuelsson S. (2011). Dynamic and Static Assessment of Phonological Awareness in Preschool: A Behavior-Genetic Study. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 44(4), 322-329.
Olson RK, Keenan JM, Byrne B, Samuelsson S, Coventry WL, Corley R, Wadsworth SJ, Willcutt EG, DeFries JC, Pennington BF, Huslander J. (2011). Genetic and Environmental Influences on Vocabulary and Reading Development from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 4. Scientific Studies of Reading, 15(1), 26-46.
Coventry WL, James MR, Eaves LJ, Gillespie NA, Heath AC, Montgomery GW, Martin NG, & Wray NR. (2010). Do 5HTTLPR and stress interact in risk for depression and suicidality? Item response analyses of a large sample. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 153B(3), 757-65.
Ebejer JL, Coventry WL, Byrne B, Willcutt EG, Olson RK, & Corley R. (2010). Genetic and Environmental Influences on Inattention, Hyperactivity-Impulsivity, and Reading: Kindergarten to Grade 2. Scientific Studies of Reading, 14(4), 293-316.
Byrne B, Coventry WL, Olson RK, Wadsworth SJ, Samuelsson S, Petrill SA, Willcutt EG, & Corley R. (2010). “Teacher Effects” in Early Literacy Development: Evidence from a Study of Twins. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(1), 32-42.
Coventry WL, Medland SE, Wray NR, Thorsteinsson EB, Heath AC, & Byrne B. (2009). Phenotypic and discordant-monozygotic analyses of stress and perceived social support as antecedents to or sequelae of risk for depression. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 12(5), 469-488.
Coventry WL, Byrne B, Coleman M, Olson RK, Corley R, & Willcutt EG. (2009). Does classroom separation affect twins’ reading ability in the early years of school? Twin Research and Human Genetics, 12(5), 455-461.
Wray NR, James MR, Gordon S, Coventry WL, Statham DB, Heath AC, Montgomery GW, & Martin NG. (2009). Novel, large scale genotyping of 5HTTLPR together with flanking SNPs in an association study of major depression, anxiety disorders, neuroticism, extraversion and harm avoidance. Biological Psychiatry, 66(5), 468-476.
Sullivan PF, de Geus EJC, Willemsen G, James MR, Smit JH, Zandbelt T, Arolt V, Baune BT, Blackwood D, Cichon S, Coventry WL, Domschke K, Farmer A, Fava M, Gordon SD, He Q, Heath AC, Heutink P, Holsboer F, Hoogendijk WJ, Hottenga JJ, Hu Y, Kohli M, Lin D, Lucae S, MacIntyre DJ, Maier W, McGhee KA, McGuffin P, Montgomery GW, Muir WJ, Nolen WA, Nothen MM, Perlis RH, Pirlo K, Posthuma D, Rietschel M, Rizzu P, Schosser A, Smit AB, Smoller JW, Tzeng J-Y, van Dyck R, Verhage M, Zitman FG, Martin NG, Wray NR, Boomsma DI, & Penninx BWJH. (2009). Genome-wide association for major depressive disorder: a possible role for the presynaptic protein piccolo. Molecular Psychiatry, 14(4), 359-375.
Byrne B, Coventry WL, Olson RK, Samuelsson S, Corley R, Willcutt EG, Wadsworth S, & DeFries JC. (2009). Genetic and environmental influences on aspects of literacy and language in early childhood: continuity and change from preschool to grade 2. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 22(3), 219-236.
Middeldorp CM, Sullivan PF, Wray NR, Hottenga J, de Geus EJC, van den Berg M, Montgomery GW, Coventry WL, Statham DJ, Andrews G, Slagboom PE, Boomsma DI, & Martin NG. (2008). Suggestive linkage on chromosome 2, 8 and 17 for lifetime major depression. American Journal of Medical Genetics: Part B, Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 150B(3), 352-358.
Wray NR, Coventry WL, James MR, Montgomery GW, Eaves LJ, & Martin NG. (2008). Use of monozygotic twins to investigate the relationship between 5HTTLPR genotype, depression and stressful life events: an application of Item Response Theory. In M. Rutter (Ed.), Genetic effects on environmental vulnerability to disease (pp. 48-67).Chichester: Wiley.
Byrne B, Coventry WL, Olson RK, Hulslander J, Samuelsson S, Wadsworth S, DeFries JC, Corley R, & Willcutt EG. (2007). A behavior-genetic analysis of orthographic learning, spelling, and decoding. Journal of Research in Reading, 31(1), 8-21.
Coventry WL. (2007). Perceived social support: its genetic and environmental etiology and association with depression. PhD thesis, University of New England, Armidale.
Coventry WL, & Keller MC. (2005). The extent of parameter bias in the Classical Twin Design: a comparison of parameter estimates from the Extended Twin-Family and Classical Twin Designs. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 8(3), 214-223.
Keller MC, & Coventry WL. (2005). Quantifying and addressing parameter indeterminacy in the Classical Twin Design. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 8(3), 201-213.
Keller MC, Coventry WL, Heath AC, & Martin NG. (2005). Widespread evidence for non-additive genetic variation in the Cloninger and Eysenck personality dimensions using a twin plus sibling design. Behavior Genetics, 35, 707-721.
McCrea R, Dalgleish LI, & Coventry WL. (2005). Encouraging use of seasonal climate forecasts by farmers. International Journal of Climatology, 25, 1127-1137.
Coventry WL, Gillespie NA, Heath AC, & Martin NG. (2004). Perceived social support in a large community sample: Age and sex differences. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 39(8), 625-636.