Season of birth as a predictor of child cognitive performance: Does timing of locomotor onset play a mediating role?

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Résumé (anglais)

Previous literature has reported: a) seasonal patterns for earlier Iocomotion attainment; b) better cognitive and school performance for those who showed early motor attainment; and c) season of birth patterns in school achievement. This combination of findings raises the possibility that early locomotor onset mediates the relationship between season of birth and cognitive performance. We tested this idea on data from a cohort of infants from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) who had information on season of birth, age at first walking, and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – Revised performance at four or five years of age. The assumptions of a formal mediation test were not met because season of birth was not a significant predictor of receptive vocabulary; however, age at first walking displayed a seasonof-birth pattern, and earlier walking was associated with better PPVT-R scores. In addition, we found a number surprising relationships involving age at first walking, receptive vocabulary, family income adequacy, number of siblings in the home, and maternal smoking and drinking. Season of Birth