Family of Origin and Cohort Differences in Verbal Ability

Abstract

Do birth-cohort differences in family configuration brought about by post-World War II increases infertility explain declines in verbal test scores of young people in the 1960s and 1970s? Datafrom nine representative samples of the U.S. population in the General Social Survey data file confirm systematic declines in verbal scores for cohorts born in the postWorld War II era, but reveal a trend beginning much earlier, at least with cohorts born prior to 1920, and one sustained through cohorts born in the 1960s. Despite the significance of these intercohort patterns, within-cohort factors are much more important in producing variation in verbal scores. Social and economic characteristics of the respondent'sfamily of origin and amount of schooling are associated with the largest differences in vocabulary knowledge. Sibship size has a significant influence on the development of verbal skills, but is relatively less important than other family background factors. Birth order, however, is not independently linked to verbal scores. Finally, owing in part to the relatively weak role of family configuration in producing variation in verbal scores, there is no support for the hypothesis that cohort differences in family experiences account for the trends in verbal ability across cohorts in the U.S. population.