However the study is not yet peer-reviewed.

  • GenkiFeral
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    3 years ago

    I refuse to waste my time reading this, because I think testing the IQ of a toddler is close to obscene! Epigenetics may lead many kids to suffer from anxiety thanks to this covid-19 drama and that may affect the likelihood of a person using reason/logic, but I’d bet there are coping strategies and that biology itself (hardware) isn’t really affected.

    • OsrsNeedsF2P
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      3 years ago

      Key excerpt:

      In the decade preceding the pandemic, the mean IQ score on standardised tests for children aged between three months and three years of age hovered around 100, but for children born during the pandemic that number tumbled to 78, according to the analysis, which is yet to be peer-reviewed.

      Hypothesis:

      The first few years of a child’s life are critical to their cognitive development. But with Covid-19 triggering the closure of businesses, nurseries, schools and playgrounds, life for infants changed considerably, with parents stressed and stretched as they tried to balance work and childcare.

      n=672

      • nurkurz
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        3 years ago

        What is a one year old expected to do in an IQ test? To not cry if they can’t suck their thumbs?

    • MedicareForSome
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      3 years ago

      The IQ test is normalized to age and there is a specific test for children. Definitely these kids are suffering cognitively and this is how we measure that.

      Let’s just hope that they can catch up and this doesn’t have a lasting impact.

      • GenkiFeral
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        3 years ago

        I’ve certainly seen some intelligence variability in toddlers and am aware from epigenetic studies that stress can be transferred from fetus to child …but, I think a parent’s response to this is partly in his/her own hands. I think most parents (without covid-19) don’t interact with and/or teach their kids enough. My own parents certainly didn’t and I think this is worse these days with smart phones and the internet. I think parenting and social skills can be taught (maybe should be taught). I rarely use geometry in daily life, but am still very much affected by social skills and the after-affects of upbringing (as are we all - I am not throwing a pity-party). You can see a few genetic/ethnic groups who underwent huge amounts of stress and they seem to be doing very well.
        Its good to study this topic, but I think the verdict isn’t clear or detailed enough yet.