Seminar Series: Bob Hauser, University of Wisconsin

Many studies have found a positive relationship between cognitive ability, as measured in childhood or youth, and subsequent survival, and several explanations of this have been offered, ranging from the idea that low ability is an indicator of adverse systemic events in infancy or childhood to the idea that high cognitive functioning is required continuously to maintain health and reduce threats to survival. The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study reproduces the basic finding that adolescent cognitive ability (IQ) is positively correlated with survival from ages 18 to 69, but there is a straightforward explanation of therelationship: High school grades account completely for the relationships between IQ and survival and have a much larger effect on survival than does IQ. That is, higher cognitive functioning improves the chances of survival because it leads to behaviors that are well organized, timely, and situationally appropriate.