People have always had this preconceived notion that first born children always tend to grow up as the most intelligent of their siblings without having actual evidence. However, recent studies show that this idea may, in fact, be true.
Researchers had used the data they had collected from 5000 children who had undergone reading recognition and picture vocabulary tests every two years. The children were aged 1 to 14 years old. Results show that first-born children have higher IQ test results than those who are not. In the study published in the Journal of Human Resource, WebMD reports that the test scores between non-first born children and first-born children increased as they had gotten older.
According to The University of Edinburgh, the findings in the study could reveal more about the "birth order effect" wherein children that are born into a family earlier than their sibling would get to experience better education and even opportunities as they grow up. Researchers have discovered that parents had offered more mental stimulation to their first born kids and that their behavior changed when their subsequent children were born. This is an all too common occurrence for couples with two or more children. Naturally, first-time parents would get more excited at the birth of their first child and are thus dedicated to providing much focus and attention in regards to caring for the child.
Parents often give more time for their first born child and engaging in all sorts of developmental activities with their children like reading bedtime stories, singing to them and even playing musical instruments. However, this behavior drastically changes after their subsequent children are born probably because the parents have already passed the excitement stage or maybe due to economical reasons as when families grow bigger, so does the expenses.
