Are stepfathers' education levels associated with the intelligence of their stepsons? A register-based study of Norwegian half-brothers

Datos Bibliográficos

ID5267482
AutoresWilly Eriksen (0000-0003-2196-1815, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, autor de correspondencia), Jon Martin Sundet (Norwegian Institute of Public Health), Kristian Tambs (0000-0001-9463-7923, Norwegian Institute of Public Health)
Año2013
Volumen104
Número2
Páginas212-224
Fecha de publicación2013-05-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaBritish Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0007-1269 • E-ISSN: 2044-8295
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.2044-8295.2012.02113.x
PMID23560667
OpenAlexW1564775781
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas21

We examined the relationship between the parents' education levels and the adult intelligence of their children in a population-based, nationwide sample of Norwegian half-brothers with different fathers (2,016 pairs of half-brothers). In a family where the mother has two children with different men, the firstborn child usually lives with the younger child's father during a period of their childhood. This makes it possible to study the non-genetic effects of paternal education on children's development. Results showed that the education level of the younger half-brother's father was positively associated with the intelligence score of the older half-brother. The education level of the older half-brother's father was not associated with the intelligence score of the younger half-brother. Firstborn men whose half-brothers' fathers had high levels of education had intelligence scores that were 33% (95% confidence interval: 18-47%) of a standard deviation higher than those of firstborn men whose half-brothers' fathers had low levels of education, after adjustment for the biological fathers' education levels, mothers' education levels, and other background factors. These findings are compatible with the hypothesis that a child's family environment exerts an effect on the cognitive abilities of the child that lasts into adulthood

Birth order · Brother · Developmental psychology · Firstborn · Norwegian · Population · Birth, Development, and Health · Cognitive Abilities and Testing · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Psychology