ADOPTION RAISES <85IQ KIDS TO +7.7/85 low +19.5/98 high SES \doc\web\99\10\adoptiq.txt From: Henry Harpending Date sent: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 11:19:44 -0600 (MDT) To: h-bd@egroups.com Subject: [h-bd] adoption/IQ boost Abstract from the new PNAS: Vol. 96, Issue 15, 8790-8794, July 20, 1999 How can we boost IQs of "dull children"?: A late adoption study Michel Duyme*,, Annick-Camille Dumaret, and Stanislaw Tomkiewicz * Institut National de la Sante' et de la Recherche Me'dicale U.155, * Epide'miologie Ge'ne'tique, Universite' Paris VII, 75251 Paris, France; Centre de Recherche, Me'decine, Sciences, Sante' et Socie'te'/Institut National de la Sante' et de la Recherche Me'dicale U.502, 75019 Paris, France; and § Centre de The'rapie familiale Monceau, 75009 Paris, France Edited by Eleanor E. Maccoby, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, and approved May 26, 1999 (received for review January 11, 1999) >From 5,003 files of adopted children, 65 deprived children, defined as abused and/or neglected during infancy, were strictly selected with particular reference to two criteria: (i) They were adopted between 4 and 6 years of age, and (ii) they had an IQ <86 (mean = 77, SD = 6.3) before adoption. The average IQs of adopted children in lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) families were 85 (SD = 17) and 98 (SD = 14.6), respectively, at adolescence (mean age = 13.5 years). The results show (i) a significant gain in IQ dependent on the SES of the adoptive families (mean = 7.7 and mean = 19.5 IQ points in low and high SES, respectively), (ii) IQs after adoption are significantly correlated with IQs before adoption, and (iii) during adolescence, verbal IQs are significantly lower than performance IQs. -- Henry Harpending harpend@xmission.com Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City UT 84112 phone 801 581 3776 fax 801 581 6252 home 801 582 7760 http://mombasa.anthro.utah.edu/henry.html