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Comparison of associations of birth order with intelligence test score and height

Abstract

No accepted genetic model can explain a true association of any human attribute with birth order. This view was not understood when Galton reported on the overrepresentation of firstborns among men of eminence. Recently, scientists have been intrigued with the possibility that studies of birth order may aid understanding of the environmental sources of differences in temperament and intelligence. Many such studies have been handicapped by the confounding effects of family size, which have been difficult to eliminate in spite of the application of a variety of techniques.

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BELMONT, L., STEIN, Z. & SUSSER, M. Comparison of associations of birth order with intelligence test score and height. Nature 255, 54–56 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/255054a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/255054a0

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