Environmental Factors Key in Developing Children's Intelligence; New Research Shows How Parents Can Improve the Odds for Higher IQ 8/11/2003
From: Patty Donmoyer of the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, 703-518-4454 WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 -- A child's IQ is shaped long before he/she enters elementary school and is affected more by environmental factors than previously thought, says a new book, which offers advice to parents for improving their children's IQ Maximizing Intelligence, written by David J. Armor, an education expert and public policy professor at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University, says that intelligence is influenced by a series of factors, and that parents have more impact on a child's developing intelligence than anyone -- or anything -- else. "Parents have more impact on their child's IQ than any other persons or institutions, including schools," Armor said. "The impact is greatest in infancy and early childhood, much less after ages eight or nine. To maximize this impact, parents have to do certain things, even things before their child is conceived." The "to do" list for parents to maximize a child's IQ includes: 1. Finish high school and go as far in school as you can. 2. Wait until you're at least in your 20s to have a child. 3. Get married before having a child and make sure that both parents are involved in raising the child. 4. Limit your family to two children, especially if you have a lower income. 5. Try to have a good income before starting a family. The second list, after conception, includes: 1. Get good nutrition and prenatal health care to avoid low-weight birth. 2. Breast feed your child -- very important! This ensures essential nutrients for brain growth. 3. Spend as much time as possible instructing your child -- starting as early as possible -- in reading, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. Expose your child to as many experiences outside the home as possible. 4. Nurture your child with love, affection and respect; avoid excessive physical discipline. The "nature versus nurture" controversy dates back to at least the 19th century. As students prepare to return to school, and at a time when the public school system in the United States is under attack, this debate has taken center stage in arguments about what accounts for differences in academic achievement. Maximizing Intelligence convincingly argues that, while both genetics and environment play a role in a child's intelligence, environmental factors, especially at an early age, are of primary importance. Working from this premise, Armor shows how intelligence may be heightened. "Americans tend to believe that their children's intelligence is either innate or based on what they learn in school," said Isabel Sawhill, The Brookings Institution. "This volume speaks to the importance of another important set of influences: early family environments. Armor's research suggests that young people need to focus much more on how their own decisions about marriage and childbearing affect their children's future success." Armor presents four propositions about intelligence. His first is that intelligence exerts a major influence on educational and occupational success, following a chronological sequence, from a child's cognitive skills learned before school, to academic success during the school years, to eligibility for college. His second proposition is that intelligence can be changed, at least within limits. There is ample evidence that a child's intelligence is not fully given at birth, but continues to evolve and change at least through the early elementary school years, although at a declining rate. The third proposition is that risk factors include parent intelligence and education, family income, family structure and size, nutrition, and specific parenting behaviors. His final proposition flows from the second and third -- that the most promising avenues for maximizing intelligence come from a child's parents. "We must have a 'whole-family' approach," Armor said, "where government programs are modified or created to inform parents of risk factors and to reward behaviors that optimize positive outcomes." David J. Armor is professor of public policy in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He is the author of Forced Justice: School Desegregation and the Law and Competition in Education. Maximizing Intelligence is published by Transaction Publishers, a leading scholarly publisher of books and journals based at Rutgers University. Its flagship journal, Society, has remained the publication of record in international social science since 1962. For more information on Maximizing Intelligence, or to purchase the book, go to http://www.transactionpub.com. --- NOTE: David Armor available for interviews. Please call 703-993-2260 or e-mail darmor@gmu.edu. |