Tuesday, September 05, 2006

I had alot going for me

Apparently, I've had alot going for me since childhood. Previously, I've linked to studies which discuss the advantages of being tall and left-handed, and now I learn that people born in late winter (like me) score higher on childhood intelligence tests according to this new study, but the effect is driven by the age you start school:
Reading ability at age 9 and arithmetic ability at age 11 were both related to season of birth (children born in late Winter or Spring performed better), but this association virtually disappeared once age at starting primary school and age relative to class peers were taken into account. That is, season of birth was only related to later intelligence because it affected the age children started school, with those who started school younger or older than the average tending to score less well on later intelligence tests.
I also find it interesting that the people this study identifies as performing better on childhood intelligence tests (those born from Feb-April) are among the least likely to become Congressmen.

(h/t Tyler Cowen)

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