According to a report from the University of Southampton in England, a child’s intelligence may be influenced by the growth of their head during their first year of life. The study, led by Catherine Gale, PhD, analyzed 633 full-term British babies and discovered that head growth, particularly in infancy, could be a significant factor in a child’s intelligence. However, the researchers are still unsure about the exact causes of why some babies have larger brains than others.
To measure head circumference, the researchers used a tape measure at birth, one year, four years, and eight years. The children also took IQ tests at the ages of four and eight. The results revealed that those with the largest heads tended to have the highest IQ scores.
Interestingly, the study found that head growth during the first year was the most crucial factor, while growth in subsequent years did not have the same impact. The researchers concluded that brain growth after infancy was unlikely to compensate for poor growth in the first year of life.
Furthermore, the researchers assessed factors such as parent-child relationships, parenting style, education level, breastfeeding, and postpartum depression. The study showed that children had higher IQ scores if their parents had higher education levels, breastfed for three months or more, and scored highly on the parenting questionnaire. Even after accounting for these factors, head growth during the first year remained strongly linked to IQ scores in both four- and eight-year-olds.
This study provides additional evidence supporting the idea that infancy is the most critical period for brain growth in determining intelligence later in life.
SOURCE:Fox News
