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.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Harrison, G. A., Weiner, J. S., Tanner, J. M., and Barnicot, N. A., Human biology: An introduction to Human Evolution and Growth (Oxford University Press, London, 1964).
Scottish Council for Research in Education, Social Implications of the 1947 Scottish Mental Survey, 5 (University of London Press, 1973).
Belmont, L., and Marolla, F. A., Science, 182, 1096–1101, (1973).
Garn, S. M., in Review of child development research, (edit. by Hoffman, L. W., and Hoffman, M. L.) 2, 529–561 (Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 1966).
McCance, R. A., Lancet, ii, 621–626 (1962).
Stein, Z. A., Susser, M., Saenger, G., and Marolla, F., Famine and Human Development: the Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944/45 (Oxford University Press, New York and London, 1975).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
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
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/255054a0
This article is cited by
-
Birth order and pediatric traumatic brain injury
Scientific Reports (2022)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.