Freakonomics Does Matter Highly educated parents: High socioeconomic status Mother was thirty or older at the time

ime of her first childs birth Child had low birthweight Adopted Many books in home Parents speak English in the home Parents involved in PTA Doesnt Matter Childs family is intact Recently moved into a better neighborhood The childs mother didnt work between birth and kindergarten Attended Head Start Parents regularly take him to museums Regularly spanked Watches TV frequently Read to every day

Education.com measures of information processing speed correlate with IQ scores. Speed of processing depends on neurological efficiency and maturation, which are genetically controlled. The fact that children with certain genetic defects (e.g., Down syndrome) have, on average, significantly lower IQ scores than their nondisabled peers If identical twins have more similar IQ scores than fraternal twins, we can reasonably conclude that heredity influences intelligence. Most twins are raised together by the same parent(s) and in the same home, and so they share similar environments as well as similar genes. Yet even when twins are raised separately (perhaps because they have been adopted and raised by different parents), they typically have similar IQ scores The correlation of .72 indicates that identical twins raised in different environments tend to have very similar IQ scores. In fact, these twins are more similar to each other than are fraternal twins raised in the same home Researchers have found that adopted childrens IQ scores are more highly correlated with their biological parents IQs than with their adoptive parents IQs. Studies of the effects of nutrition, toxic substances, home environment, early intervention, and formal schooling provide additional support for the influence of environment. For poor children, some adopted by middle class parents with IQs 118-121: Adopted children 105 Nonadopted children 90

Severe malnutrition, either before birth or during the early years of life, can limit neurological development and have a long-term impact on cognitive development and intelligence Pre and postnatal substances: for instance, alcohol, drugs, radiation, lead-based paint dust Like in freakonomics, adoptive parents are likely to have more money, education, and be more supportive (since they want the kid) when two biologically unrelated children of the same age are raised by the same parents (typically because one or both children are adopted), the childrens IQs tend to be more similar than we would expect by chance alone Kids in Romania some of whom were foster cared after a bit and some werent: Despite adequate nutrition, children remaining in an institution throughout infancy and the preschool years had smaller head circumferences and less brain activity than the foster children. When intelligence was assessed, the institutionalized children had an average IQ of 64 (indicating mental retardation), whereas the foster children, on average, had IQs in the normal range. In impoverished places: For instance, high-quality child care and preschool programs (e.g., Head Start) frequently lead to short-term IQ gains and other cognitive and academic benefits. Without further intervention, these effects diminish after a bit. Publicly funded preschool programs such as Head Start often enroll the most economically disadvantaged children in the community. Furthermore, early intervention often leads to long-term improvements in areas not reflected in IQ test scores. For instance, children who attend intensive, developmentally appropriate academic preschool programs are, later on, more likely to have high achievement motivation and self-esteem, less likely to exhibit serious behavior problems or need special education services, and more likely to graduate from high school Early intervention is most effective in fostering intellectual development when it is tailored to childrens existing abilities and interests. Not too much stimulation or age-inappropriate stimulation. And ultimately, a secure, supportive relationship with one or more caregivers or teachers is just as important as age-appropriate toys and activities The very act of attending school leads to small increases in IQ. When children must start school later than they would otherwise for reasons beyond their families control, their IQs are at least 5 points lower for every year of delay. Dropouts have 2 points lower forevery year of highschool out. Drop some over summer too. Kids these days are smarter. Not hereditary because gene pool hasnt changed Theorists disagree as to the likely explanations, however. Better nutrition, smaller family sizes, higher quality home environments, better schooling (for parents as well as children), and more enriching and informative stimulation (increased access to television, reading materials, etc.) are all possibilities But most psychologists now believe that it may ultimately be impossible to separate the relative effects of heredity and environment. They suggest that the

two combine to influence childrens cognitive development and measured IQ in ways that we can probably never disentangle Heredity sets range of iq while environment sets exact. Heredity may also affect how susceptible or impervious a child is to particular environmental influences Heredity cant do much when the external things are stacked against the child Niche-picking: children will gravitate towards and nurture their natural inherited talents Over time, adopted kids start being more similar to biological parents. Especially around adolescence when theyre away from home more, their natural tendencies come into play. Genetic activity affects neural activity (i.e., the operation of neurons in the brain), which in turn affects behavior, which in turn affects the environment. But influence moves in the opposite direction as well: The environment affects behavior, and these two (through stimulation, nutritional intake, physical activity, etc.) affect neural activity and genetic expression.