Did you know there is a correlation between parents' intelligence and their children's?

Question

There is a .6 correlation.

Although correlation does not imply causation in statistics, I would like to think that intelligence is influenced by genetics.

Answer 1

I would think about a .5, because it's about a 50% chance, but .6 is about right. It means it's slightly more of a correlation than half. I have 2 children, a boy and a girl. My girl is my youngest, and she's totally gifted. She can pass anyone's reading test, and she's excited about learning, just as I was in school. My son, the older, is more creative. While he can write very well for a lefthanded person, and can put his thoughts on paper to write songs, and sing them and play basketball, his academic acumen is lacking. He just plain doesn't care about school. I have to stay on him constantly, or he'd just give up. So I would definitely agree with your statistical analysis.

Answer 2

It is GREATLY influenced by genetics. Generally speaking the average IQ of the children is equal to the average IQ of the parents (or within a very few points). Harvard Medical School has done several studies on exactly that phenomenon.

Answer 3

I am certain that there is such a correspondence too. However, I am intrigued by how fragile this linkage may be in light of the powerful influence of culture and socialization. No other inherited trait is subjected to such an impact. Thank you for this thoughtful question. I have enjoyed it immensely.

Answer 4

A lot of the time, people think that these kinds of things are genetic, when in fact, they've just lived with their parents when they were younger and growing up to slightly take on their character. It's not completely genetic, in my theory, because I think that all souls are already in existance prior to physical birth... but that's just my opinion.

Answer 5

Duh! You are just now figuring that out? Smart people usually begat smart or smarter children, and socially prepare them better as well than those that are not that sharp. Really uninteligent people tend to marry unitelligent people and begat--not too bright children. Of course, there is the odd exception now and then. Simple genetics.

Answer 6

maybe, or maybe the more intelligent parents treat their children differently, or talk to them differently, or take them places that then influence the kid's intelligence.

Answer 7

of course but its onyl .6 and theres alwaysd the black rabbit in the litter of white ones

Answer 8

Although there are many variables in the measuring and/or making correlations in anything, I am fairly certain that you are wrong in the degree of influence on intelligence that you attribute to genetics.

As you know, the world has plenty of people of average or well above average intelligence who may have children of less than average inate abilities. There are also children of parents who would seem to be lacking in at least some areas of intelligence while the children may grow up to be quite intelligent. There are several areas of intelligence, though, so the parent who may not have great math skills may be quite skilled in, say, verbal/"human" intelligence.

I do not have any scientific studies (and I don't even know if they exist) that say that a person's genes may decide what "ceiling" there will or won't be on a person's abilities; but think of this: science already knows that while there are differences in brain sizes between males and females, brains generally all develop (or don't) by the same process or (in the case of inadequate development) process that went awry.

As the parent of one adopted child and two biological children (adopted son, biological son and biological daughter), I have seen for myself the similiarities in thinking abilities and personalities (both of which I intentionally tried to pass on or mold right from the beginning); and I have no doubt that my adopted child would have been a completely different person with far less intellectual capabililties were it not for my parenting. I have also known someone who has cared for infants from parents that were far from "cream of the crop", and I have seen those infants have abilities that were every bit as superior as some abilities from children with their own good-but-maybe-not-as-understanding-of-child-development parents.

I compare the passing of of thinking skills (and the resulting brain devlepment in the small child) as an older computer and a new computer, with the older one needing to upload the files it has to the new one. If the parent knows what she's doing, she knows how to demonstrate thinking skills and styles for her child. She knows how to pass on information and facts. The earlier the "old computer" uploads as many new files to the "new computer", the earlier that "new computer" gets what it needs as a foundation on which to go on and build on its own.

If you take out of the equation genetic abnormalities (such as with Down's Syndrome) and the brain damage (sometimes just from birth) that can cause mental handicaps, and if you consider only children who have parents who are able to make sure they get the right nutrition (and very intelligent parents can usually figure out a way to feed their children well even if they are on a tight budget), and you are dealing only with healthy children from healthy prenatal environments; these children can all be considered on equal ground at birth (for the most part and unless you believe that are already pre-destined for a certain intelligence level).

Assuming for now that people with your opinion are wrong (and - trust me - they most likely are; although - again - I can't offer the studies that say there is no predetermined ceiling on any child without an abnormality of one sort or another), if I were given any newborn like this (or if someone like me were given any newborn like this) it is fairly certain that the child would be remarkably similiar in abilities to his/her adoptive parent(s). There would be, however, one thing that could throw off such an experiment; and that would be if the adoptive parents, although maybe loving and good, did not quite do all that is need in order to help that child reach his/her potential. The steps and the time involved in helping a child reach potential are time-consuming and take a very solid understanding of brain development and even a very solid degree of common sense.

What I'm saying, though, is that if a child is helped to reach his/her intellectual potential and the right degree of emotional maturity; not only could intelligent parents have equally intelligent children, but less intelligent parents (if they're just good in the areas that matter when it comes to child development) can actually produce children who are of superior intelligence.

While helping an infant develop into a very bright individual takes skill, it is as if Nature has provided normal mothers with the basic abilities to do what is need - provide good food, make the child feel safe and secure, teach socialization, etc. The problem may be that mothers often fail or partially fail by allowing their own insecurities or other factors to get in the way of the natural infant-nurturing. Many women do quite well as long the baby is an infant, but when the parenting skills should be more sophisticated to meet the needs of the increasingly sophisticated intellect of the child not all mothers know quite what to do. I'm convinced, too, that many mothers fail to recognize the importance of doing what encourages brain development until the child starts to show "more personality", but by then they've lost important brain-development time that could have made the difference between a very bright child and a super-bright one.

A couple of years ago ABC news had a thing on (Peter Jennings did it), and it was said that science now believes that genetics have about 30% influence on "what we are". Of course, that included our eye color, hair color, predispositions to some medical conditions and other things. In other words, if you take away from that 30% (or so) all the other factors that have nothing to do with intelligence there wouldn't be too much left when it comes to any ceiling that genes could place on a child's intellectual potential. Of course, science has been wrong in the past. Maybe genetics is responsible for more than scientific studies have so far led science to believe, maybe less.

Children's physical and mental growth can be slowed and even destroyed when children are, say, left in orphanages in places like Romania and are just left in cribs for years. Children of loving, intelligent, parents tend to be loving and intelligent children.

There is something in it for people to want to believe that genetics plays an important role in intelligence. If a kid is bright they get to believe they have superior genes. If a kid screws up they can blame it on great-uncle, Fred, who screwed up the same way. Bright people who haven't yet had kids get to feel sure they'll have bright kids. Less-than-bright people aren't always that interested in who is all that bright anyway. If people really could understand exactly how important a good, rock-solid, understanding of child development is in determining how intelligent a baby's brain gets to be they would have to face the fact that they may be good parents or really good parents but they just aren't as super-capable as they need to be when it comes to building intelligence in another human being. Most people are happy enough with intelligent-enough but a well adjusted person, and that's what a whole lot of children end up being.

I have to laugh when I think of how I've heard on television that women go to sperm banks and will pay thousands and thousands of dollars more for the donation of someone who has established a high intellect over someone who hasn't. I think of how these potential mothers don't realize what they need to know in order to raise a child of high intellect and how because of that they're going to end up with, maybe, a nicely-above average or average child after paying all that money extra!

Intelligent parents of any income (and there are intelligent people who may have been lost by the school systems and who may only have average or even less in terms of income) know how to encourage intelligence in their chidren. Intelligent and well adjusted parents of any income turn out out children who tend to be more intelligent and more well adjusted. Still, the higher income parents are more likely to be able to send their children to better schools; and it is in mediocre schools that many very intelligent children are left to fall between the cracks.

Any correlation between intelligent parents and their children is not likely to have considered the many, many, factors that are involved in starting with a brand new, undamaged, infant's brain and getting to where a child has an across-the-board superiority in measures of intellectual abilities.

My son's biological mother was described as "being of limited mental capacity", and at four years old my son tested on the level of a seven-year-old. His non-biological siblings are no slouches either.

Answer 9

great..

Answer 10

REALLY ?????