Mental Development and Performance as Related to Physical and Physiological Factors

The relationship of mental to physical characteristics.

“…In summing up the physiological research in general, one must conclude that an attitude of watchful waiting is about all that is justified at the present time. The summaries of new research in this field prepared by Jones and collaborators (20,48) every three years for the Review of Educational Research afford a convenient means of keeping up with current findings. While there is not the same overwhelming evidence that there is in the studies of body structure that any relationships existing at all are low and practically insignificant, there is need for a great deal of further evidence in each of the fields that has been outlined before we can say whether the suggestive findings are actually widespread and important.…”

Chapter V: Physiological Aspects of Development

“…Earlier studies which reported improvements in school performance following the administration of various nutrients have been critically evaluated in previous reviews (112,116,118). Some recent studies have reported decreases in fatigue and improvement in school performance of mentally retarded (129,135) and normal (48,66) children following improvement in nutrition, including the administration of vitamins of the B complex.…”

“…Older mothers are more apt to experience difficulties in giving birth to their young, and the effects of slight, undetected injury to the infant at birth may be the basis for reports of retarded mental development of children of older mothers. Since anoxia at birth may also produce unnoticed damage to brain tissue, the entire question of the effect of birth order, age of mother, and so forth, on mental development needs careful reexamination (118).…”

Physiological Aspects of Development

“…Earlier studies which reported improvements in school performance following the administration of various nutrients have been critically evaluated in previous reviews (112,116,118). Earlier studies which reported improvements in school performance following the administration of various nutrients have been critically evaluated in previous reviews (112,116,118).…”