贫穷影响儿童智力
Poverty affects the intelligence of children as young as two, a study has found - and its impact increases as the child ages.
英国一项研究发现，贫穷会影响年仅两岁儿童的智力，且影响力会随年龄增长而加强。
Deprived young children were found to have IQ scores six points lower, on average, than children from wealthier families.
And the gap got wider throughout childhood, with the early difference tripling by the time the children reached adolescence.
Scientists from Goldsmiths, University of London compared data on almost 15,000 children and their parents as part of the Twins Early Development Study (Teds).
The study is an on-going investigation socio-economic and genetic links to intelligence.
Children were assessed nine times between the ages of two and 16, using a mixture of parent-administered, web and telephone-based tests.
The results, published in the journal Intelligence, revealed that children from wealthier backgrounds with more opportunities scored higher in IQ tests at the age of two, and experienced greater IQ gains over time.
Dr Sophie von Stumm, from Goldsmiths, University of London, who led the study, said: 'We’ve known for some time that children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds perform on average worse on intelligence tests than children from higher SES backgrounds, but the developmental relationship between intelligence and SES had not been previously shown.
'Our research establishes that relationship, highlighting the link between SES and IQ.
'We hope that our findings will drive future research into the specific mechanisms and factors that underpin the link between SES and IQ and thus, contribute to widening the IQ gap.'