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Parasite prevalence and the worldwide distribution of cognitive ability
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Eppig, C., Fincher, Corey L. and Thornhill, R. (2010) Parasite prevalence and the worldwide distribution of cognitive ability. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Volume 277 (Number 1701). pp. 3801-3808. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.0973 ISSN 0962-8452.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.0973
Abstract
In this study, we hypothesize that the worldwide distribution of cognitive ability is determined in part by variation in the intensity of infectious diseases. From an energetics standpoint, a developing human will have difficulty building a brain and fighting off infectious diseases at the same time, as both are very metabolically costly tasks. Using three measures of average national intelligence quotient (IQ), we found that the zero-order correlation between average IQ and parasite stress ranges from r = −0.76 to r = −0.82 (p < 0.0001). These correlations are robust worldwide, as well as within five of six world regions. Infectious disease remains the most powerful predictor of average national IQ when temperature, distance from Africa, gross domestic product per capita and several measures of education are controlled for. These findings suggest that the Flynn effect may be caused in part by the decrease in the intensity of infectious diseases as nations develop.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Psychology | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | ||||
Publisher: | The Royal Society Publishing | ||||
ISSN: | 0962-8452 | ||||
Official Date: | 30 June 2010 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Volume 277 | ||||
Number: | Number 1701 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 3801-3808 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1098/rspb.2010.0973 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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