Fagan, Holland & Wheller. The prediction from infancy, of adult IQ and achievement.
Program Abstract
- A sample of 66 young adults (18 to 24 years old), who were originally tested at 6 to 12 months of age on the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence (FTII) for their ability to recognize briefly presented photos of previously unfamiliar faces were recently revisited. A current estimate of IQ was obtained from each. A measure of achievement was derived by computing the ratio of years of education attained divided by current age. The intellectual functioning of the sample at 21.9 years, (SD 1.3 years) was in the average range with a mean IQ of 106.7 (SD 14.4). The average educational level achieved was 14.2 years (SD 2.2). Information processing ability estimated during the first 6-12 months of life was predictive of adult IQ (r = .34 p < .006) and of academic achievement (r = .25 p < .05). Corrected for unreliability, these coefficients are r = .59 and r = .44, respectively. The present results support earlier studies indicating the continuity of intelligence from infancy and illustrate the validity of basic measures of information processing for the long-term prediction of achievement.
- Comment. Although correlations reportedare statistically significant, and important for theory building and research, they fall far short of the magnitude necessary to make any reasonable predictions regarding any particular individual.
