Birth order may represent one of the most influential environmental factors that directly impacts personality development and even life outcomes. The present study sought to expand upon the existing literature by examining the motivational and dispositional differences between first born and second born individuals. Research indicates that first born children show significantly higher levels of academic achievement and lifelong attainment due to experiencing higher parental expectations as well as increased financial support. As a result, the second born child is likely to compare him/herself with the first born sibling and develop a greater level of competitiveness. Additionally, this desire to surpass the first born may lead to the development of extrinsically motivated goals. Few research endeavors to date have explored the specific motivational disposition of the second born child with no future siblings. By engaging in this research, a better understanding of the complex interaction between siblings can be ascertained as well as a deeper appreciation for how the familial environment impacts development. Such information can be applied to the educational setting to develop programs more rewarding and salient to second-born individuals, thus increasing their level of academic achievement. Seventy-two male and female participants took part in the present experiment. Research validated scales were used to assess overall competitiveness in addition to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. A paired-t test was used to evaluate the data and compare the differences between the two groups. Although the results do not support the hypotheses, there were a number of limitations that may have served to restrict the scope of the data. The theoretical implications of the results and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

The impact of birth order on language development has gained significant traction over the years, with contradictory evidence suggesting that lower birth order may hinder language development in typically-developing children (Nafissi and Vosoughi, 2015). However, results also suggest that when considering measures of social communication, second-born typically-developing children demonstrate a significant advantage (Kheirkhah and Cekaite, 2018). These findings have interesting ramifications when considering autistic children, as language impairments are characteristic of the disorder. The current study investigated the impact of birth order, in particular having an older, typically-developing sibling, on vocabulary and social language development in autistic youth. Participants included 1338 first-borns and 1049 second-borns (M age = 9.03 years, SD = 3.57; 86.4% male) with diagnoses of Autistic disorder, Aspergers, or PDD-NOS from the Simons Simplex Collection (Fischbach and Lord, 2010). Results indicated no significant differences in vocabulary or social language between first-borns and second-borns. Hierarchical linear regressions indicated no significant main effect of birth order; however, significant 2-way interactions with birth order x income and birth order x age predicted expressive vocabulary and inappropriate speech. Post-hoc simple slopes suggested that birth order may have a greater impact on language in younger autistic children, and lower-income families. This is the first work to date to investigate birth order and contextual factors on expressive language outcomes in autistic youth. / Doctor of Philosophy / Families provide an important context for important developmental milestones, such as language development (e.g., first words, firs phrases). Many parents and previous literature suggest that occasionally, older siblings can "speak on behalf" of their younger siblings, which reduces the number of opportunities second-born children have to practice important language skills. Previous literature in the field suggests that first-born siblings demonstrate stronger language skills when considering vocabulary, but that second-born siblings demonstrate stronger social language skills. The current dissertation evaluated these birth order findings in a clinical group of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as language differences are key features of the disorder. Using a large, representative data set from the Simon Simplex Collection, nearly 3,000 youth with ASD were evaluated on vocabulary and social language skills, grouped by birth order status. Group comparisons suggested that there were no significant differences between first-borns and second-borns in vocabulary and language. When evaluating what factors predicted vocabulary and language, birth order was also not significant. However, some interaction effects emerged between birth order and income, suggesting that in lower-income families, birth order may make a meaningful difference in vocabulary and social language. This is the first work to evaluate the role of siblings on language in ASD, and has important implications for interventions, especially for lower-income families impacted by ASD.

This study investigated relationships involving peer acceptance, mathematics achievement, and birth order among 74 fifth-grade students. The children were administered a standardized achievement test and a sociometric measurement in one sitting. They were then listed in rank order on the basis of number of choices received for each of two areas-- Social- and Work-acceptance. A comparison of High and Low Social- and Work-acceptance groups in terms of mean mathematics-achievement scores indicated a significant positive interaction between peer acceptance and mathematics achievement. No significant difference was evidenced between mean mathematics-achievement scores of males and females. As expected, birth order was not shown to interact significantly with Social- or Work-acceptance for either sex. Results indicate the importance of utilizing various techniques such as sociometrically determined work groups and seating arrangements in order to improve the peer climate of the classroom.

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This study examined the relationship between psychological birth order and substance abuse and suicide in adolescents. It was hypothesized that adolescents operating from a perceived inferior position as measured by the Psychological Birth Order Instrument would be more likely to abuse substances and/or engage in self-destructive behavior. Ninety-five adolescents from Southern Arizona volunteered to participate in this study. The forty-eight treatment subjects were current in-patients at a psychiatric hospital. The control group consisted of forty-seven high school students. The results indicated that there was a difference in perceptions between adolescents in treatment versus those not in treatment for substance abuse and/or suicide. There was a significant relationship at the.005 level and it was concluded that adolescents operating from a perceived inferior position are more likely to abuse substances and/or attempt suicide.

Tidigare forskning menar att det äldsta syskonet anses vara mer auktoritärt, det mellersta barnet minst familjeorienterat och det yngsta barnet mer socialt. Uppväxten kan påverka individens KASAM. Studien undersöker om syskonplacering samverkar med människors KASAM, personlighet utifrån femfaktormodellen samt ser till eventuella könsskillnader. Urvalet bestod av högskolestudenter, varav 145 kvinnor och 80 män. Enkätens material analyserades med tvåvägs variansanalyser. Studien uppvisade ingen signifikant skillnad mellan de tre syskonplaceringarna. En tendens till signifikant interaktion visades mellan könen, där kvinnliga mellanbarn har lägre KASAM än de manliga. Studien visade två signifikanta könsskillnader mellan kvinnor och män. Kvinnorna var mer neurotiska och samvetsgranna än männen. Resultatet uppvisade en tendens till signifikans, gällande att kvinnor hade högre grad av personlighetfaktorn öppenhet än männen. Slutligen konstaterades att syskonplaceringen inte samverkar med individens personlighet eller KASAM, men att det finns vissa personlighetsskillnader mellan könen. Resultatet kan bero på brister i studien, som att familjekonstellation inte tillfrågades deltagarna.

Aside from the introduction and conclusion, this thesis comprises four core chapters: The first chapter investigates the presence of endogenous peer effects in the adoption of formal property rights. Using data from a unique land titling experiment held in an unplanned settlement in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I show a strong, positive impact of neighbour adoption on the household’s choice to purchase a land title. I also show that this relationship holds in a separate, identical experiment held a year later in a nearby community, as well as in administrative data for approximately 45,000 land parcels in the same city. I also discuss possible channels, including the possibility of complementarities in the reduction in expropriation risk. The second chapter examines the relationship between ethnic heterogeneity and the demand for formal land tenure. Using a unique census of two highly fractionalised settle- ments in Dar es Salaam, I show that households located near coethnics are significantly less likely to purchase a limited form of land tenure recently offered by the government. I attempt to address one of the chief concerns, endogenous sorting of households, by con- ditioning on a households choice of neighbors upon arrival in the neighborhood. These results suggest that close-knit ethnic groups may be less likely to accept state-provided goods if they can generate reasonable substitutes. The third chapter is a short chapter which presents results from a recent policy experi- ment in Tanzania where formal land titles were provided to informal settlers at randomised prices. Land owners were also randomly assigned conditional discounts, which could only be applied if a woman was designated as owner or co-owner of the land in question. Results show that conditionality has no adverse effects on demand for land titles, yet drastically increases the probability a woman is included. We discuss the implications of these results for the expected bargaining power impacts of the intervention. The final chapter investigates birth order effects on both anthropometric and edu- cation outcomes in a longitudinal survey of children from the Philippines. Birth order effects are present early in life for both outcomes, but attenuate as children approach adulthood. There is also evidence for nonlinear birth order effects, with both firstborn and lastborn children holding an advantage over middleborn children. These results are at odds with prevalent theories of birth order which predict lasting and monotonic differences in outcomes across children.

Nineteen selected self-perception characteristics of university students were related to sex and to ordinal position. The 60 selected males and 120 selected females were enrolled during the summer of 1976 at North Texas State University in Denton County, Texas. A self-rating, group-administered instrument was originated for collecting information. Ordinal positions were only child, first-born with later siblings, intermediate, and last-born. The intermediates had the most positive self-perceptions. Of the males, intermediates were highest and only children lowest. Of the females, only children reported more positive self-perceptions. Females had more positive self-perceptions than males. Effects of ordinal positions tended to depend on the child's sex. Further study was recommended utilizing a larger, more varied population.

Several previous studies suggest, that early life environment influences partner choice and quality of romantic relationship in adulthood. One of the significant factors influencing individuals in their childhood is the presence of siblings. There were numerous investigations executed whether the number and the sex of partner's siblings has any significant impact on their relationship. For the past few decades the duplication theorem was used as the stepping stone into this field of research. This theorem states that duplication of interpersonal patterns that spouses come from (e.g. couple consisting of firstborn and lastborn) is desired in a romantic relationship. However, nowadays there are some studies implying that in fact homogamy of the sibling positions could be beneficial. We collected data about sibling constellations and romantic relationships of the participants (2537) and their parents (838) through web-based questionnaires. We tested both of the theories listed above considering representation of pairs in the population, their stability and self-report questionnaire-based compatibility. Taking into account also the sex of the siblings we created new categorization of pair based on the degree of common childhood experience; experience that is rooted − as a counterpart to duplication...

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Work. / The study sought to investigate the relationship of maternal and paternal attitudes and child-rearing practices towards children of different birth order positions. The research also investigated possible differences in the childrearing practices and attitudes toward" their children, of parents who had a child that stuttered, and of parents ill which there was no child wuo stuttered in the family. The research was conducted among a selected sample of forty three families who were matched on certain variables. Group A comprised thirty families in which there was no child who stuttered, and Group B comprised thirteen families each of whom had a child who had been identified as suffering from the disorder of stuttering. The data were collected by means of a postal questionnaire, and then analysed quantitavely and qualitatively using various statistical analyses. Selected variables were studied in an attempt to assess the possible effects on children as a result of birth order, parenting and stuttering. Findings revealed that parental attitudes towards the children of different birth order positions were not significantly different, However, the parents' expectations of and perceptions of their firstborn child's intelligence differed from their expectations and perceptions of their other children, No differences in child-rearing were identified between the parents of children who stuttered. and the parents of children who did not stutter. However, the parents in Group B reflected more confidence in their parenting skills. Religious centres were identified as being a popular venue for parenting programmes especially for the parents in Group A. Practice guidelines for social workers rendering services to the family in which there was a child who had the disorder of programmes were enumerated. Social workers need to be aware of the individual in interaction with an levels of the ecosystem. Social workers must also take cognizance of alternate family structures, the importance of the father in the development of the child and for Inclusi..a in therapy and benefits and methods of parenting programmes as a preventative tool to alleviate the possibility of future pathology. / Andrew Chakane 2018