Date Approved

5-2-2007

Embargo Period

3-29-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in School Psychology

Department

Educational Services and Leadership

College

College of Education

Advisor

Dihoff, Roberta

Subject(s)

Birth order; Brothers and sisters--Psychology

Disciplines

Educational Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to associate birth orders effect on an individual's perception of their sibling, family, and social roles. Research has asserted that children learn by observing the actions of their siblings, which transcend into other aspects of their own lives. One hundred and one undergraduate college students were separated into three categories: younger sibling subjects (n=47), older sibling subjects (n=49), and only children subjects (n=5). The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire comprised of 25 statements about their sibling, family, and social relationships based on a 5 point likert scale. A Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric K independent samples test was used to find any significant differences in the mean scores of the three groups. The data revealed that younger siblings' means scores were significantly higher than scores of older sibling subjects in areas of personal attributes, interest, and sibling influence of social relationships. Older sibling subjects' mean scores were significantly higher than younger sibling subjects' mean scores regarding intellectual superiority.

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