“The Relationship between Children’s Tested Intelligence and Their Hobby Participation”, 1941 ():
…6th grade children alone are involved. Of a total of 4,779 cases, 2,342 are boys and 2,437 are girls. They were drawn from 258 schools located in 31 states, a rather large proportion of which are in the north-central and north-western sections of the United States, although all regions are represented.
Several different types of records were obtained on each child. Among these were intelligence quotient data as derived from the Kuhlmann-Anderson Tests, and a statement of the hobby or hobbies in which each child engaged. This latter record was prepared by the teacher after conference with the child.
A child could be listed as having several specified hobbies, or as having only one particular hobby, or as not having a hobby. In order to systematize reports the following check list of hobbies was presented for the teacher’s use…most children had 3–6 recorded hobbies.
In Table 1 will be found a summary of the test data arranged by sexes and hobbies. The number of cases in each hobby group also are presented.
…Rather interestingly, among girls no one hobby dominates the field as completely as does collecting among boys.
…In light of the data presented in the foregoing analyses the following appear to be valid conclusions from this study:
Some hobbies tend to be participated in more frequently by children of high tested intelligence than do other hobbies.
Pronounced sex differences in the intelligence-hobby relationship exist. In fact, one has only a very meagre basis for anticipating the type of intelligence which will be associated with hobby participation in one sex group from a knowledge of the nature of this relationship in the other sex group.
When both sex groups are considered together the hobbies of collecting, playing musical instruments, and reading history, science, biography, and the like appear most likely to be participated in by those of superior intellectual ability.
No single hobby appears to be associated consistently with children of lower than average intelligence as are the 3 hobbies just mentioned associated with those of above average intelligence.
Very superior children appear to have a greater diversification of hobby interests than very inferior ones.
Very superior children tend to engage in certain types of hobby activities much more frequently than very inferior ones. Furthermore, they do not participate with statistically-significantly less frequency in any type of hobby than do very inferior children.
The child without a hobby is more likely to be below average in intelligence than is the child with hobbies. This is particularly true with respect to girls.