Age of Parent and Intelligence of Offspring

Abstract

THIS article reports a study of the relation between age of parent and intelligence of offspring made through an examination of the records of the Georgia State Womans College. Differences between age of parent and of daughter were determined, and ratings were secured on several tests given at entrance into college. The Psychological Examination of the American Council on Education was used to test general ability. In the autumn of I937 the Cooperative Test Service tests in English, mathematics, social studies, and science were used. In the preceding years the tests used in these fields were prepared by the University System of Georgia. Tabulations were made according to migration of the family since the daughter's birth. Test ratings were tabulated according to whether the daughter was among the upper or the lower 50 per cent of the students taking a particular test. Data for non-migrating families are presented in Table I. These data show, with one exception, that the daughters ranking among the upper 50 per cent on each of the tests are more likely to have older parents than are the daughters in the lower 50 per cent. Conversely, the daughters in the lower 50 per cent on the tests are more likely to have young parents than are the daughters in the upper 50 per cent. Thus, on the American Council test 53.7 per cent of the daughters in the upper 50 per cent have fathers who are thirty or more years older than themselves, whereas only 42.2 per cent of those in the lower 50 per cent have fathers of comparable ages. Conversely, of the daughters in the lower half, 57.8 per cent have fathers who are not more than thirty years older than themselves, whereas of those in the upper half only 46.3 per cent have fathers this young. The same situation prevails when age of mother is considered in relation to age and rating of daughter. Thus, 50 617