The Relation of Home Environment, Cognitive Competence, and IQ among Males and Females

Abstract

BRADLEY, ROBERT H., and CALDWELL, BETTYE M. The Relation of Home Environment, Cognitive Competence, and IQ among Males and Females. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1980, 51, 11401148. The home environments of 72 children were assessed when they were 6 and 12 months old. Children's performance on the Bayley was assessed at age 1 and their Binet performance at age 3. Some significant correlations were obtained between Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory scores and 2 clusters of items from the Bayley: goal directedness and language use. Substantial correlations were observed between HOME scores and Binet scores for both boys and girls-albeit there were some sex differences. A significant residual correlation was obtained between 12-month HOME scores and IQ with 6month HOME scores partialled out; however, no significant residual remained when 12-month HOME scores were partialled out from the relation between 6-month HOME scores and IQ. Regression analyses revealed that IQ in boys was most efficiently predicted using 12-month scores on Play Materials, 6-month scores on Play Materials, and the child's language competence at age 1. For girls, the most efficient model included 12-month scores on Play Materials and Maternal Responsivity.