Posted on 02/12/2017 5:48:11 AM PST by BenLurkin
Scientists say the discovery could explain the "birth order effect," when children born earlier in families reported higher wages and education levels later in life.
Economists from the University of Edinburgh, the Analysis Group and the University of Sydney closely reviewed data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 5,000 children were monitored from pre-birth to age 14, each undergoing assessments every two years.
Tests included "reading recognition, such as matching letters, naming names and reading single words aloud and picture vocabulary assessments."
(Excerpt) Read more at wcvb.com ...
They studied kids from birth to age 14 and can already determine their wage earning capabilities?
My bro was born 14 years before me and he was NOT smarter than me.
I suppose if they know they are a ‘transgender’ at the age of 5 anything is possible? /s
I suppose if they know they are a ‘transgender’ at the age of 5 anything is possible? /s
Easily explainable on a statistical basis. Birth defects increase with older parents. The optimal age is around 20 years. Children born to parents of much greater age, in their 40’s or 50’s for example, will affect the statistics.
My older brother thinks he’s smarter than me.
“First-born children are smarter than their younger siblings...”
? Had to look to see if this was a story from 40-50 yrs ago, cuz that’s about how long ago I remember hearing about it.
I guess if someone is going to pay to do the study no matter how redundant, someone will gladly take the money.
Also explainable in terms of less divided parental attention.
I had 3 older siblings, they were smarter as far as IQ but they had near zero common sense. I am glad I received the common sense and only a little less smarts. ;-)
Yes there are lots of factors which become uncontrolled variables in any study like this. Accounting for all of them is the problem.
The eldest in our family skipped so much school, she was expelled at age 14 and it was not due to her inate intelligence, I can assure you.
IMO, first born usually receive more adult personal attention than does a second (or additional) children and typically mature a bit faster, often diagnosed as being “smarter”. I didn’t need some government paid study to tell me that.
Not in my family.
We all have the smarts, but our choices were very different. In my clan #3 is the most successful (the way the world measures it.)
I had noticed something similar in high school.
Virtually all of my friends were either first born, only children, or born after a significant period of time after the previous child. Almost without exception, we excelled over our younger siblings academically, in success in careers, and in a marked loss of “screwing up” in life.
This carried over into college and into general life choices. While not every girl I dated was in the same category, looking back, my most compatible relationships were with women with the same quality, including my wife.
Maybe it’s all coincidence. Maybe it has something to do with a few years of undivided attention from parents. Maybe it’s driven by parent expectations. But it seems to indicate some cause and effect, at least in my experience.
There are certain characteristics of young children that translate into measures of success in adults. For instance, that kid who never pays attention in school and won't bring home his homework assignments is unlikely to grow up to be a high-powered business executive.
I read of one study that found that how children as young as 3 express themselves is a prognosticator of future lifestyle choices and success. Children who readily picked up slang and colloquialisms were most likely to remain in their home towns throughout their lives. Children who used more formal, grammatically correct language were most likely to seek higher education and more lucrative job opportunities when they became adults.
There is an older study that showed the correlation is to the average age of the household you grow up in. So the first born starts life with two adults, the next with two adults and a child, etc. How that works in the last couple of decades with kids farmed off to daycare centers full of kids, I don’t know.
My oldest is not the smartest. It’s unclear so far whether #3, #6, or #8 will prove the most brilliant.
Of course the relationship is not deterministic.
It only takes a small statistical advantage to have a large aggregate effect.
This has irked my younger sister for decades now.
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