Physiques of Gifted Children and Their Less Gifted Siblings1

Terman found that bright children are somewhat larger than average children. But they also tend to come from more prosperous homes, where health care and diet may be superior. To recognize family background, this investigation compared each one of 81 bright youngsters to a significantly less bright sibling. Body measures were weight, height, biacromial and bi-iliac diameters, and leg circumference; intelligence was inferred from Binet or related tests. In general, the physiques of the siblings were not significantly divergent. These data, therefore, do not support the claim that bright children are larger than ordinary children from the same homes.