From time to time we see claims linking birth order and various medical and social conditions. Research has as its objective, to look for answers to specific questions that help explain our world.
Many times it is to test a theory in order to make something more predictable based on the research. If the sample population is not clearly identified, then the data that is collected is flawed, as well as the results.
Double Blind Studies
Using a double blind study is always the best method to study a problem. Neither the subjects nor the persons administering the experiment know which group is the control and which is the experimental. This type of study is very difficult to do when birth order is being studied.
Most birth order studies use questionnaires to find their subject’s birth order. By using the following eight important principles to find the “Real” birth of their participant’s birth order studies will be more accurate.
Most studies fall short in their original identification of the birth orders of their participants. There are eight questions that must be answered before the sample will have correct birth orders.
1. Spacing between Siblings and Groups of Siblings
The spacing between siblings is by far the most important factor in finding the “Real” birth order. If there are four or more years on either side of a person it adds the Only characteristic to their ordinal number of birth.
- A firstborn that is at least 4yrs older than the next sibling is a One/Only birth order.
- A second born that has a 4yr separation between siblings is a Two/Only birth order.
- A third born that has a 4yr separation between siblings is a Three/Only birth order.
- The fourth born that has a 4yr separation between siblings is a Four/Only birth order.
These children assume their Double birth orders as they spend time alone at home with at least one parent for the four years before they go off to school. They pick up the characteristics of the Only child because of this added nurturing. The Only characteristic amplifies, intensifies and magnifies the ordinal birth order characteristics.
When a group of siblings in a family are separated by four or more years the siblings in the second or third family get double ordinal birth orders. These children show a blending of their two ordinal birth numbers. These two examples will show what happens when spacing occurs.
Family A
- Family A; four children with the oldest Becky, age 18 who is 6 years older then the next group of three Jim age 12, Bob age 10 and Linda age 8, all spaced two years apart.
- The First born Becky is 6 years older; she becomes a One/Only birth order. The second, third and fourth children in the next group receive the following Double birth orders. Jim becomes a Two/One, Bob a Three/Two, and Linda a Four/Three birth order.
Family B
- Family B; four children with the first two, James 11 and Lee 10 are one year apart. Then there is a 4 year separation before Kathy age 6 and Anne age 4 are born.
- First born James is a #1; Second born Lee is a #2 then the 4 year gap. The Third born Kathy is a Three/One, and the Fourth born Anne is a Four/Two Double birth order.
Without understanding the spacing and Double birth orders the sample would be flawed.
2. Stepbrothers and Sisters
The addition of stepbrothers and sisters in a combined family Can change birth orders. A child will be demoted by an older step-sibling and this must be taken into account in the questionnaire. If a child changes birth order in a combined family, they should not be included unless it is a study dealing with combined families and their new birth orders.
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3. Who did the child live with until Age 16
The interaction with siblings is what determines birth order characteristics. This is why a study needs to know who the child was living with until age 16. Many times a child grows up living with a grandparent or another relative.
In divorce situations not all of the children may live with the same parent. Knowing where they were living and if there are any other children in this family and their ages will determine the birth order of the children in the sample.
4. Handicapped or Disabled Siblings
This item can really upset the birth order. If an older sibling is Disabled or becomes disabled during his childhood then all the other siblings move up a spot in birth order. If the handicapped sibling is at a lower number than all the siblings above him then the affect will be less. These children may feel that they did not receive the normal amount of attention or interaction because of the extra attention given the disabled sibling.
5. Death of a Sibling
If a death of a sibling occurs then all of the other siblings move Up a position. If the sibling that died is kept “alive” by the family as a “phantom” sibling than this affects the siblings that were born later or were at a lower numbered birth order than the sibling that died.
6. Adopted Siblings
7. Twins or Multiple Births
These children also take on the characteristics of the different Birth orders once they know who is oldest or youngest in the multiple birth. The other children in the family will be affected by a multiple birth because the multiple birth can use much of the family resources and time.
8. Cultural Bias
Most societies have a male gender bias in their family’s structure. This is especially true in Asian and Arab cultures where the children with female genders are not held in as high esteem as males. The first male to be born may assume the firstborn position in these families and therefore change his birth order number.
Do Firstborns Have More Allergies? A Study with Problems
On Sunday, March 20, 2011 a study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in San Francisco, California. By Monday morning the conclusions from this study hit the news media.
News Release
Study finds common allergies tied to birth order
Researchers found a higher risk of developing several types of allergies in firstborns compared to those that were second or third borns. This is the age we live in, as headlines like this increase the audience and readers but is it really true?
A Closer Look at the Birth Order Data
This study was done by Takashi Kusunoki in Shiga, Japan. They questioned parents of 13,000 children in Japan between the ages 7 and 15. They asked the parents for information on the history of allergies before the age of one. The findings showed the firstborns with a 4% increase, the second borns a 3.5% increase and the thirdborns a 2.6% increase in allergies.
Flaws in the Study
To ask someone to remember 7 to 15yrs later about the allergy history of their child is very subjective. In all societies the firstborns get an extraordinary about of attention where every cry, runny nose, or slightest problem will be addressed by the parents.
The later born children do not get as much attention and if they had problems they may not be remembered or just ignored. Japan is one of very few countries that has a name for the second born hiyameshi a word also meaning cold rice.
This cultural bias may have played a role in the study. This study did not take into account any of our eight ways to find the Real Birth order of the children in the study. A child with a Double birth order of the type with Only characteristics may be treated more like a firstborn and less like a later born and would affect the results of the study. The study is interesting but not conclusive since the sample was not uniform.
Study Says Eldest Children Have Higher I.Q’s –New York Times
Dr. Petter Kristenen of the University of Oslo and Dr. Tor Bjerkedal of the Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Services conducted the study. This study looked at the I.Q. scores of 241,310 18-19 year old men born from 1967 to 1976 using their military records.
The only adjustments were parents education level, maternal age at birth, and family size. The results showed the eldest children scored 3% higher then second children and 4% higher than third borns. They also looked at 63,951 pairs of brothers and found the same results.
The researchers did examine the scores of the younger sibling after an older sibling had died. They describe this as a functional Firstborn. Their scores came out the same as if they were the eldest.
Flaws in the Study
It does not look like this study used all eight of the factors that would find their subjects Real birth orders. They did use one, the death of a elder sibling with predicable results as the second born was now being treated like a firstborn or Only child.
I’m sure in the study there were also many subjects with some sort of Double birth order, this would influence the results. When the characteristics for birth orders are described it is always the firstborn that wants to excel in school with the later borns picking something else to make them different, it is usually athletics for the second born.
The test for I.Q. is a written one something the firstborn, being The better student, would have a slight edge. I.Q. is just one measure of intelligence and three and four percent is not very significant. Firstborns will continue to use this study to their advantage over their younger siblings. We know the data and conclusions may be flawed.
Don’t Believe Everything You Hear or See in the News
Now you can look at any story or news item on birth order more critically. You will see if they used all of the eight items in their identification of the participants in the study before you accept their conclusions. As they say, it may be like comparing apples to oranges.