Parental estimates of their own and their children's intelligence

The parents from 415 child-mother-father triads (average age of children: 10.6 years of age) in their first year of secondary school education in the new German Federal States (former East Germany) estimated their-own general and specific intelligence scores and that of their children. Analyses of variance yielded gender-specific variations in, parents' self- and child-ratings. Males rated themselves more favorably than females did except for the aspect of emotional intelligence Where the opposite pattern was observed. Ratings of children's intelligence only differed with respect to analytical and practical intelligence, where sons were rated higher than daughters. Moreover, child-ratings varied depending on school track (general secondary vs. grammar) with all parental estimates of grammar school students exceeding those given for general (secondary) school students. Regression analyses suggest that parental estimates of children's intelligence are strongly influenced by parents' self-ratings of intelligence.