Relationship between second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) and academic performance among students in Nigeria.

Abstract

The second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D), is a sexually dimorphic trait, with males on the average having lower ratios than females 2D:4D. It had been correlated with several psychosocial features. The present study is primarily aimed at investigating the existence of the association between digit ratio (2D:4D) with academic performance of 205 secondary school students (110 males and 95 females) in Kano State, Nigeria. Academic performance of the students was measured from the terminal examinations results in three key subjects (Maths, English and Biology) and these results were obtained from the schools managements. A significantly low 2D:4D (a correlate of high prenatal testosterone and low prenatal oestrogen) was observed in male students compared to females and the differences in digit size measurments between male and female students were also statistically significant (P<0.05). Female students performed significantly better in all the 3 subjects, but there was no correlation between the performance and any of the 3 subjects or their cumulative average with 2D:4D ratio of the right or left hand in the current study. However, a positive but negative correlation between the sizes of the left and right digits, with academic performance in all subjects in males and two subjects (English and Biology) in females were observed. It is therefore sufficient to conclude that 2D:4D ratio was not associated with better performance in the current study.