While fathers might not want to accept it, a new study has shown that Intelligence of a child can usually be attributed to the mother. When it comes to IQ, there are many factors that come into play when it comes to how a person’s cognitive abilities develop with everything from their environment to nourishment having an influence.
But in terms of inherited intelligence, a new study has claimed women play the greater role.
It’s important to remember that this is just one study on cognitive development and that there are many opposing views that would dispute its findings, but it’s still an interesting viewpoint to consider.
The study put forward by Dr. Keith Witt, a clinical psychologist, argued that as cognition is thought to be influenced by the X chromosome because women possess two X chromosomes and men possess one X and one Y, women are more likely to affect development.
To test this theory they administered predominately maternal Genetic Material to genetically emodified mice and found they developed a disproportionately larger cranium and brain, with a smaller body.
When they did the same with the Paternal Genetic Material they found the subjects had a larger body, but a smaller cranium and brain.
They also failed to discover any paternal genetic material within the cerebral cortex, which is the area responsible for executive functioning such as planning, advanced thinking, and languages.
Separation of maternal and paternal genes was also found in six areas of the brain, where one was found and not the other.
It’s not the first study to find that the maternal genes have more of an influence over intelligence.
A government agency in Scotland interviewed a group of nearly 13,000 people aged between 14 and 22 over several years.
After observing their intellectual developments, they found the mother’s IQ was the best predictor for how intelligent the child would be.
While no study can be scientifically proven right, there appears to be mounting evidence that points to women and mother having more of an influence on intelligence.
This counts to other factors that influence a child’s intelligence.
Nourishment and nurture are known to be hugely important to mental development, two areas that are traditionally managed by a mother.
