'First-Born' Children Are Smarter Than The Other Siblings, Study Says; Higher IQ Results Noted
A new research indicates that first-born children are more intelligent than the other siblings. This advantage may be coming from the parents' way of raising a first-born.
According to a report, a study from the University of Edinburgh discovered that the mental edge for first-born children may be due to the parents. The study indicates that the IQ is much higher for first-borns than the other siblings as early as the age of 1.
Researchers found that the advantage of first-born children is that the parents tend to focus on the child's learning compared to the others. Parents tend to change the behavior as the number of children increases.
The attention given to first-born children by parents have a long term effect. It is indicated that most of the ones that get higher wages and a good education are the older siblings. The same report suggests that the parent's behavior towards the siblings tend to vary and has a lot of advantages for the first-born children.
It is also indicated in the study that parents tend to give less mental stimulation to younger siblings. The mothers also have a tendency to be at risk with the pregnancy as the number of children increases. There is more time spent in activities with the older siblings than with the younger ones.
Meanwhile, the research done by the researchers in the University of Edinburgh started with 5,000 children. This data has been taken from the US children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The researchers looked at the IQ results of these children every two years. This has been from pre-birth up until the children reached to 14 years old.
The conclusion from the research is that first-born children got higher IQ results in reading, math, verbal communication and general awareness. However, it is noted that love towards the siblings from parents remains the same all throughout. The difference is on the attention parents give when it comes to mental stimulation.
