Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

174
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
174
Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

390
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
390
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

97
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to...
97
Gene-Environment Interactions01:20

Gene-Environment Interactions

395
Gene expression is a dynamic process that is significantly influenced by environmental factors. This interaction underlies the complex nature of biological development and the phenotypic differences observed among individuals, even among those with identical genetic makeups. Factors such as radiation, temperature, behavior, nutrition, and stress play pivotal roles in determining how genes are expressed. The concept of the reaction range is central to understanding this interaction. It posits...
395
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs01:23

Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs

451
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
451
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

20.6K
Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
20.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Multimodal evidence for a mechanistic model of working memory deficits in schizophrenia.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2026
Same author

Changes in heritability and shared environmentality of educational attainment across twentieth-century Norway.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Shared and specific associations of amygdala nuclei volumes with PTSD symptom domains and childhood trauma: An ENIGMA-PGC PTSD mega-analysis.

Molecular psychiatry·2026
Same author

No evidence of parental mental health influencing children's academic achievement: a within-family study.

European child & adolescent psychiatry·2026
Same author

Using EEG to Measure the Neural Effects of Oxytocin Administration: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

Psychophysiology·2026
Same author

Stratifying the risk of transition to adult-onset psychiatric disorders in adolescents with anxiety.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills
06:52

Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills

Published on: September 17, 2019

6.4K

Birth order differences in education originate in postnatal environments.

Martin Arstad Isungset1, Jeremy Freese2, Ole A Andreassen3,4

  • 1Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, PO Box 1096, Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway.

PNAS Nexus
|January 30, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Birth order impacts education, but not due to genetics or prenatal factors. Earlier-born children outperform later-borns, with differences emerging after birth, not from biological predispositions.

Keywords:
birth orderbirth weighteducationgenetics

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model
04:20

Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model

Published on: July 12, 2024

1.7K
Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
07:31

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

6.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills
06:52

Using Cholesky Decomposition to Explore Individual Differences in Longitudinal Relations between Reading Skills

Published on: September 17, 2019

6.4K
Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model
04:20

Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model

Published on: July 12, 2024

1.7K
Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
07:31

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

6.6K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Siblings share genetics and environments, yet exhibit developmental differences.
  • Birth order is linked to variations in intelligence and educational attainment, with earlier-borns typically achieving higher outcomes.
  • The origins of these birth order effects, whether biological or environmental, require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if birth order differences in educational attainment are rooted in genetic or in utero biological factors.
  • To differentiate between prenatal and postnatal influences on birth order-related educational disparities.
  • To explore potential environmental factors contributing to these observed differences.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a two-generation family dataset from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
  • Combined registry, survey, and genotype information, including polygenic scores (PGSs) for educational attainment.
  • Controlled for genetic and in utero variables, including birth weight and maternal factors.

Main Results:

  • No significant genetic differences by birth order were found using polygenic scores for educational attainment.
  • Earlier-born children had lower birth weights, suggesting potentially less optimal uterine environments.
  • Educational outcome advantages for earlier-born children persisted even after adjusting for genetic and in utero factors, indicating postnatal influences.

Conclusions:

  • Birth order differences in educational attainment are not attributable to genetic or prenatal biological factors.
  • The observed disparities appear to originate from postnatal environmental influences, though specific causes remain unidentified.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the precise environmental mechanisms driving birth order effects on education.