Intelligence Statistics

Abstract

I WAS interested in a short note in NATURE of February 16, p. 218, on the dependence of the standard of intelligence of individuals on the part of the year in which they were born. Statistics appear to show that the standard of intelligence is higher in individuals born in the autumn (say October) than in those born in the spring (say April). At first sight this result may seem rather unexpected, as one might expect that the influence of summer would be beneficial to a child born in the spring, whereas, in the case of a child born in the autumn, it would not be surprising if the succeeding winter were to have a deleterious effect on the mental growth.