BIRTH ORDER
From ADLER To SULLOWAY
A 32-year Review of Literature
With A Biopsychosocial Approach
Methodological Standpoints in
Birth Order Studies
Between-Family Studies:
Birth Order As A Dependent Variable
(Bythaway B. A Statistical Trap Associated With Family Size. Journal of Biosocial
Sciences 6:67-72 1974 )
Birth Order As An Independent Variable
(Kinsolving Dl, Bone Rn. Firstborns, only children, sex and field independence.
Psychological Reports, 29: 126 1971)
Within-Family Studies:
Comparison Of Sibs Within the Same Sibship
Biopsychosocial Approach to
Birth Order Implications
Biological Implications:
1.
IImplications to Growth and Development of Fetus and Infant
2.
Implications to Epidemiology of General Medical Diseases
3.
Implications to Laterality
4.
Implications to Intelligence and Mental Functioning
5.
Implications to Language Development, Neurocognitive Status, Communication Skills, and
Perceptual Motor Performance
Psychological Implications:
1.
Implications to Attachment System, Parent-child Relationship, and Favoritism
2.
Implications to Temperament, Personality, Attributional Styles, and Psychopathology
3.
Implications to Adjustment System, Response to Stress, and Accident Proneness
4.
Implications to Epidemiology of Major Psychiatric Illnesses
5.
Implications to Sexual Identity and Behavior
Biological Implications:
1.
Implications to Interpersonal Relationship
2.
Implications to Social Position, Occupation, and Achievement
BIRTH ORDER
Implications to Intelligence
Environmental Hypothesis
1.
Ernst C, Angst J. Birth order : It’s influences on personality. By Springer-Verlag 1983
2.
Zybert P, Stein Z, Belmont L. Maternal Age and Children’s Ability. Perceptual and
Motor Skills 47:815-818, 1978
3.
Nichols Rc, Davis Ja. Characteristics of Students of High Academic Aptitude. Pers Guid
J 42:794-800 1964
4.
Altus WD. Birth order and Scholastic Aptitude. Psychological Reports 16:956, 1965
5.
Belmont L., Marolla F.A. Birth Order, Family Size, And Intelligence. Science, 182:
1096-1101 1973
6.
Belmont L; Wittes J; Stein Z. Relation Of Birth Order, Family Size And Social Class To
Psychological Functions. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 45(3 Pt 2):1107-16 1977 Dec
7.
Belmont L,Stein Z,Zybert P. Child Spacing And Birth Order: Effect On Intellectual
Ability In Two-Child Families. Science,202(4371):995-6 1978 Dec 1
8.
Zajonc RB, Markus GB. Birth Order And Intellectual Development. Psychological
Review, 82:74-88 1975
Zajonc RB, Markus H, Markus GB. The Birth Order Puzzle. Journal Of Personality and
Social Psychology, 37(8):1325-41 1979 Aug
Zajonc RB. Family Configuration and Intelligence. Science 192:227-236, 1986
Zajonc RB, Mullally PR. Birth Order : Reconciling Conflicting Effects. American
Psychologist 52: 685-699 1997
9.
10.
11.
Manual Social Class
Main Effects Attributable to Nested Variable (% )
100
80
Birth Order Effects Nested
Within Family Size
Family Size Effects Nested
Within Birth Order
60
40
20
0
T
B
L
R
M
C
Non-manual Social Class
Main Effects Attributable to Nested Variable (% )
100
Birth order Effects Nested
Within Fam ily Size
80
60
Fam ily Size Effects Nested
Within Birth Order
40
20
0
T
B
L
R
M
C
US 1965
N.M.S.Q.T.
France, 1973
Gille
Scotland 1947
Stanford-Binet
0.5
0.5
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.1
-0.1
-0.3
-0.5
0.1
-0.1
-0.3
-0.5
Intellectual Performance (S.D. units)
0.5
Intellectual Performance (S.D. units)
0.5
Intellectual Performance (S.D. units)
Intellectual Performance (S.D. units)
The Netherlands Data
Raven
0.1
-0.1
-0.3
-0.5
0.1
-0.1
-0.3
-0.5
-0.7
-0.7
-0.7
-0.7
-0.9
-0.9
-0.9
-0.9
1
2
3
4
5
6
Birth Order
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
Birth Order
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
Birth Order
7
8
9
1
2
3
4
5
6
Birth Order
7
8
9
Environmental Hypothesis
1.
Page EB, Grandon GM. Family Configuration and Mental Ability: Two Theories
Contrasted with US Data. American Educational Research Journal 16:257-272 1979
2.
Velandina W, Grandon GM, Page EB. Family Size, Birth Order, and Intelligence in a
Large South American Sample. American Educational Research Journal 15:399-416
1978
3.
Davis DJ, Cahan S, Bashi J. Birth Order And Intellectual Development: The Confluence
Model In The Light Of Cross-Cultural Evidence. Science, 196(4297):1470-2 1977 Jun
24
4.
Duncan GJ, Brooks-Gunn J, Klebanov PK. Economic Deprivation And Early Childhood
Development. Child Development 65: 296-318, 1994
Biological and Genetic
Hypothesis
1.
Jensen AR. Cumulative Defeicit: A Testable Hypothesis? Developmental Psychology
10:996-1019, 1974
2.
Jensen AR. The Nature of Black-White Difference on Various Psychometric Tests:
Spearman’s Hypothesis. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 8:193-263, 1985
3.
Turkheimer E. Individual and Group Differences in Adoption Studies of IQ.
Psycholohgical Bulletin 110:392-405, 1991
4.
Foster JW, Archer SJ. Birth Order And Intelligence: An Immunological Interpretation.
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 48(1):79-93 1979 Feb
5.
Yeates KO, Mcphee D, Campbell FA, Ramey CT. Maternal IQ and Home Environment
as Determinants of Early Childhood Intellectual Competence: A Developmental
Analysis. Developmental Psychology 19:731-739, 1983
National Merit Scholorship Qualification Test 1956 (S.D. Units)
100
0.2
90
0.1
80
0
70
-0.1
60
-0.2
50
-0.3
40
-0.4
30
-0.5
20
-0.6
10
-0.7
0
1
2
3
Birth order
4
5
6
0
Percent of Women with Cytotoxic HLA Antibodies in Serum
0.3
Cultural Test Bias
Hypothesis
1.
Helms JE. Why is there no study of cultural equivalence in standardized cognitive
ability testing? American Psychologist 47:1083-1101, 1992
2.
Rodgers JL. What Causes Birth Order-Intelligence Patterns? The Admixture
Hypothesis, Revived. American Psychologist 56(6-7): 505-510, 2001
3.
Rodgers JL, Cleveland HH, Van Den Oord E, Rowe DC. Resolving The Debate Over Birth
Order, Family Size, And Intelligence. American Psychologist 55(6):599-612, 2001
4.
Rodgers JL, Cleveland HH, Van Den Oord E, Rowe DC. Birth Order And Intelligence:
Together Again For The Last Time? American Psychologist 56(6-7): 523-524, 2001
5.
Downey DB. Number Of Siblings And Intellectual Development - The Resource
Dilution Explanation . American Psychologist 56(6-7): 497-504, 2001
5.
Guo G, Vanwey LK. Sibship Size And Intellectual Development: Is The Relationship
Causal? American Sociological Review 64(2):169-187, 1999
Verbal Intelligence vs.
Emotional
Intelligence
1.
Dickson WP. The Development of Interpersonal Referential Communication Skills in Young
Children Using An Interactional Game Device. Diss Abstr Int 35-A:3511, 1974
2.
Nelson K. Individual Differences in Language Development: Implications for
Development and Language. Developmental Psychology 17:170-187, 1981
3.
Jensen AR. The Nature of Black-White Difference on Various Psychometric Tests:
Spearman’s Hypothesis. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 8:193-263, 1985
4.
Pine JM. Variation In Vocabulary Development As A Function Of Birth-Order. Child
Development 66(1):272-281, 1995
5.
Morand DA. Family Size And Intelligence Revisited: The Role Of Emotional
Intelligence. Psychological Reports 84(2):643-649, 1999
BIRTH ORDER
Implications to Character,
Personality,
Concepts,
and Life Style
Paradigms in
Personality Psychology
Psychoanalytic Paradigm
1.
Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology
2.
Heinz Kohut Concept of Narcissism
Trait
Cognitive Information Processing and Social Cognitive Theory
Biological Trends Involving Evolutionary Psychology
Alfred Adler’s
Individual Psychology
•
Feeling of Community
•
Necessary Interdependence
•
Feeling of Interconnectedness
•
Final Goal
•
Feeling of Inferiority
•
Plus and Minus Situations
•
Main Tasks : Work , Community, Love
•
Style of Life
•
Psychopathologic Conditions:
•
Insufficiently Developed Feeling of Community
•
Exaggerated Feeling of Inferiority
•
Physical Handicap
•
Family Dynamics
•
Parenting Style
•
Position in the family constellation
•
Societal Influences
Alfred Adler’s
Individual Psychology
Traits Associated to first- and Laterborns
First Borns
Laterborns
Protector and Leader, creative
Strong trend to achieve
Power hungry, conservative
Introspective
Adult-oriented
Interest in abstract thought
Rebellious
Resigned
Vulnerable and uncertain
Low self-esteem
Fearful, dependent, affiliative
Indirect expression of Aggression
Strongly sex-typed
Ready to cooperate
Extremely ambitious
Inclined to new ideas
Extraverted
Peer-oriented, empathizing, popular
Interested in practical problems
Harmonious and leisurely
Direct expression of Aggression
From Ernst C, Angst J. Birth order : It’s influences on personality. By Springer-Verlag 1983
Academic Achievement
•
White J; Campbell L; Stewart A. Associations Of Scores On The White-Campbell Psychological Birth
Order Inventory And The Kern Lifestyle Scale. Psychological Reports, 77(3 Pt 2):1187-96 1995 Dec
•
Belmont L; Stein Za; Wittes Jt. Birth Order, Family Size And School Failure. Developmental Medicine
and Child Neurology, 18(4):421-30 1976 Aug
•
Sputa Cl; Paulson SE. Birth Order And Family Size: Influences On Adolescents' Achievement And
Related Parenting Behaviors. Psychological Reports, 76(1):43-51 1995 Feb
•
Nystul Ms. Response To Sputa And Paulsons Birth-Order And Family-Size - Influences On
Adolescents Achievement And Related Parenting Behaviors. Psychological Reports 1995, Vol 76, Iss 3,
Pp 1241-1242
•
Vaneijck K; Degraaf Pm The Effects Of Family Structure On The Educational Attainment Of Siblings
In Hungary. European Sociological Review, 11(3):273-292, 1995
•
Travis R; Kohli V. The Birth Order Factor: Ordinal Position, Social Strata, And Educational
Achievement. Journal Of Social Psychology, 135(4):499-507 1995 Aug
•
Downey Db. When Bigger Is Not Better - Family-Size, Parental Resources, And Childrens
Educational Performance. American Sociological Review, 60(5):746-761, 1995
•
Parker WD. Birth-Order Effects In The Academically Talented. Gifted Child Quarterly, 42(1):29-38,
1998
•
Binder M. Family Background, Gender And Schooling In Mexico. Journal Of Development Studies,
35(2):54-71, 1998.
•
Conley D. Sibship Sex Composition: Effects On Educational Attainment. Social Science Research
29(3):441-457, 2000.
Social Leadership
•
Newman J; Taylor A. Family Training For Political-Leadership - Birth-Order Of United-States State
Governors And Australian Prime Ministers. Political Psychology, 15(3):435-442, 1994
•
McCann SJH. The Extended American Social, Economic, And Political Threat Index (1788-1992).
Journal Of Psychology, 132(4):435-449, 1998
•
McCann SJH. Birth Order Of Past Presidents And Schlesinger's History Cycles: Support For
Stewart's Leadership Theory. Psychological Reports, 88(2):375-376, 2001
•
Steinberg BS. The Making Of Female Presidents And Prime Ministers: The Impact Of Birth Order,
Sex Of Siblings, And Father-Daughter Dynamics. Political Psychology, 22(1):89-110, 2001
Other Characteristics
•
Eyring WE 3rd; Sobelman S. Narcissism And Birth Order. Psychological Reports, 78(2):403-6 1996
Apr
•
Zemanek Je Jr; Claxton Rp; Zemanek Wh Greenville, Relationship Of Birth Order And The
Marketing-Related Variable Of Materialism. Psychological Reports, 86(2):429-34 2000 Apr
•
Manaster Gj; Rhodes C. The Role Of Birth Order In The Acculturation Of Japanese Americans.
Psychologia 1998, Vol 41, Iss 3, Pp 155-170