• Question: Are people born clever or is the environment around them and their attitude towards learning?

    Asked by Emily to Damien, Rachael, Simon, Suzi, Tim on 17 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by felixjones, morgancope.
    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi @hippieslacker
      Great question!
      Rather typically, I’m not 100% sure (you lot are asking REALLY tough questions!) but the current evidence seems to suggest that all 3 of these factors are important.

      I recently ran a study where I found that the children of women who started of thin and put on lots of weight during pregnancy performed better in their GCSEs than other children (not a big difference, but a little one). So there may be factors at work before you’re born, both in the form of genes and in the form of your mother’s behaviour during pregnancy.

      What do you think? Do you think that if you work hard you can improve at something you’re not initially good at?

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