Children who love dinosaurs are smarter than those who don’t
A love for a complex concept could be an indicator of higher intelligence.
- by
Laura Barry
Many children develop interests in particular things throughout their childhood, but those who are truly interested in learning more about specific things – such as learning all about types of dinosaurs and how they lived – can be more intelligent later in life. In psychological terms, this obsession with learning about dinosaurs or astronomy (for example) would be called an ‘intense interest’.
The catch is that the intense interest must be a ‘conceptual domain’. That is, the interest must be in the topic itself (a desire to learn more about individual dinosaurs and the way they lived) rather than situational (being interested in a large dinosaur roaring at a museum for a brief time).
“Results indicated a significant portion of preschool children do sustain an interest in conceptual domains during some portion of their childhood. Expected gender differences were found, with boys more likely to express an interest in a conceptual domain than girls,” wrote lead researcher, Joyce Alexander.
So, if your child is obsessed with learning all there is to know about an animals, dinosaurs, space or other complex subjects – then you may just have a genius on your hands.
Laura BarryLaura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.
