Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council, Washington, DC, USA.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2011 Jul;66 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):i91-101. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbr037.
This study attempts to explain the ubiquitous positive correlation between cognitive ability (IQ) and survival.
A sample of 10,317 Wisconsin high school graduates of 1957 was followed until 2009, from ages 18 to 68 years. Mortality was analyzed using a Weibull survival model that includes gender, social background, Henmon-Nelson IQ, and rank in high school class.
Rank in high school class, a cumulative measure of responsible performance during high school, entirely mediates the relationship between adolescent IQ and survival. Its effect on survival is 3 times greater than that of IQ, and it accounts for about 10% of the female advantage in survival.
Cognitive functioning may improve survival by promoting responsible and timely patterns of behavior that are firmly in place by late adolescence. Prior research suggests that conscientiousness, one of the "Big Five" personality characteristics, plays a key role in this relationship.
本研究试图解释认知能力（智商）与生存之间普遍存在的正相关关系。
对 1957 年威斯康星州的 10317 名高中毕业生进行了样本跟踪，直到 2009 年，年龄从 18 岁到 68 岁。采用 Weibull 生存模型分析死亡率，该模型包括性别、社会背景、Henmon-Nelson IQ 和高中班级排名。
高中班级排名是高中期间负责任表现的累积衡量标准，完全中介了青少年智商与生存之间的关系。它对生存的影响是智商的 3 倍，约占女性生存优势的 10%。
认知功能可能通过促进负责任和及时的行为模式来提高生存能力，这些行为模式在青春期后期已经牢固确立。先前的研究表明，尽责性是“五大”人格特征之一，在这种关系中起着关键作用。
