Birth Order Effects on Personality

Matt Belzner

Outline
3 studies focusing on personality traits Extraversion, Neuroticism, Pyschoticism, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience 3 studies focusing on: Achievement Goals, Cooperative Behavior, and Risk Taking

Study 1: Are firstborns more extraverted, in the sense of being dominant, than laterborns?
Researchers: Pollet, Dijkstra, Barelds, & Buunk Method:
Interview process of 8,161 individuals located using Netherlands Kinship Panel Study Narrowed down to 1,494 to include only those who had 2 full siblings; participants coded as first, middle, or last 4 item questionnaire measuring dominant aspects of extraversion

Results
Firstborns less extraverted and less dominant than laterborns

Possible Reasons: Parents more dominant over firstborns Firstborns already have a dominant position

Study 2: Personality and birth order in large families

Researchers: Dixon, Reyes, Leppert, & Pappas Method: Sample of 361 individuals taken from a list of participants of the Utah Genetic Reference Project Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) 90 item, self-report questionnaire designed to measure Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism

Results
Younger siblings once again show higher levels of extraversion, but also significantly higher levels of psychoticism Reasons Younger siblings need to be more extraverted to gain more parental investment Younger siblings have less responsibility, leading to a higher level of psychoticism

Study 3: Birth order, conscientiousness, and openness to experience

Researchers: Healey & Ellis

Method Sample consisted of 161 students from a psychology class at the University of Canterbury Filled out questionnaire in which they were required to rank-order their sibling on six different traits

Results
Firstborns ranked higher on Conscientiousness, Secondborns ranked higher on Openness to Experience

Reasons Firstborns can act as caretakers Secondborns more free to be reckless and try new things

Study 4: Birth order effects on achievement goals

Researchers: Carette, Anseel, & Yperen

Method Sample of 375 undergraduate students who fit study criteria Participants rated both themselves and their siblings on the types of goals they pursue 2 types of goals: Mastery and Performance

Results
Firstborns more mastery goal oriented; Secondborns more performance goal oriented

Reasons Parents different types of evaluation Childs different point of reference

Study 5: Birth order affects behavior in the investment game

Researchers: Courtiol, Raymond, & Faurie

Method 510 unrelated students participated in an investment game Afterwards each participant filled out a small questionnaire

Results
Firstborns were less trustful and reciprocated less than laterborns or only children

Implication As one shifts status from being an only child to being a firstborn child, cooperative behaviors decrease

Study 6: Birth order and risk taking in athletics

Researchers: Sulloway & Zweigenhaft

Method The Baseball Encyclopedia, a book that describes the performance of everyone who has had a career in Major League Baseball, was used to observe the stats of 700 men who each have at least one brother who has played in Major League Baseball as well

Results
Laterborns are more likely to engage in the riskier aspects of the game than are firstborns

Reasoning Different amounts of parental investment between older and younger siblings

Conclusion

One factor among many

References
Carette, B., Anseel, F., & Van Yperen, N.W. (2011). Born to learn or born to win? Birth order effects on achievement goals. Journal of Research in Personality, 45 (5), 500-503. Courtiol, A., Raymond, M., & Faurie, C. (2009). Birth order affects behaviour in the investment game: Firstborns are less trustful and reciprocate less. Animal Behaviour, 78 (6), 14051411. Dixon, M.M., Reyes, C.J., Leppert, M.F., & Pappas, L.M. (2008). Personality and birth order in large families. Personality and Individual Differences. 44 (1), 119-128.

References
Healy, M.D., & Ellis, B.J. (2007). Birth order, conscientiousness, and openness to experience, tests of the family niche model of personality using a within-family methodology. Evolution and Human Behavior. 28 (1), 55-59. Pollet, T.V., Dijkstra, P., Barelds, D.P.H., & Buunk, A.P. (2010). Birth order and the dominance aspect of extraversion: Are firstborns more extraverted, in the sense of being dominant, than laterborns?. Journal of Research in Personality, 44 (6), 742-745. Sulloway, F.J. & Zweigenhaft, R.L. (2010). Birth order and risk taking in athletics: A meta-analysis and study of major league baseball. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14 (4), 402416.