Monday, June 25, 2007

Birth Order and IQ

A study coming from Norway's National Institute of Occupational Health and Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Services is in the AP news today. They are stating that according to their findings from following more than 240, 000 men that the first borns statistically score higher than second or third borns. The twist is that if raised as a first born, because the actual first born died at a very young age, the IQ was higher. It seems to be the social setting more than anything else, they write
"The older child benefits by having to organize and express its thoughts to tutor youngsters, he said, while the later children may have no one to tutor."

I have mixed thoughts on studies like this. When talking about birth order there are so many variables that could also play a large role, age of the mother at time of birth, number of years apart siblings are born, etc. What about an only child or twins? Or siblings born very close in age?

I'm waiting on more evidence.

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