Explores the relationship between birth order and academic attainment for 817 men and women from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. Suggests that birth order produces an impact on total years of education only among members of the middle class. These findings support a resource-dilution hypothesis. (MJP)

Developmental changes and individual differences in children's conceptions of transgression were studied in 46 children from preschool through 1st grade. Differences in response to moral transgressions in kindergarten were related to mothers' control management and to siblings' friendly behavior in the preschool period, early understanding of…

A longitudinal study of conflict management among siblings found that children's use of other-oriented statements emerged between 33 and 47 months of age, and that children used other-oriented arguments with their friends more often than with their mothers or siblings. Further, at 33 months, children used more reasoning during conflicts when not…

Examined 9-13 year olds' relationships with parents; teachers; siblings; close friends; other friends; and other peers. Used a social rules questionnaire to formulate a checklist of social rule themes. Found that themes that had previously been associated with one class of social relationships had much wider application. (MDM)

Analyzed strategies used by older siblings to teach school-related knowledge and skills to a kindergartner in a Puerto Rican home, comparing these strategies to those used by the child's bilingual kindergarten teacher. Found that siblings taught within a context of learning and togetherness established by the parents and grounded in Latino…

Some children with autism and learning disabilities also have aberrant behaviours that are difficult to regulate and stressful for both the child and family members. This case study concerns experiences of 10 parents from five families before and 2 years after entrusting their 10- to 11-year-old child with autism to a group home. Hermeneutic…

Background: A number of methodological weaknesses have contributed to our relatively poor understanding of the impact on children of having a brother or sister with a disability. These include a focus on poor adjustment, using multidiagnostic groups, inadequate matching, and a failure to consider the perspectives of children and parents together.…

Do child development professionals have expectations about what it will be like to parent twins based on their professional experiences? Does their professional knowledge influence their approach to caregiving? And do their personal experiences as parents of twins change their research interests or how they work with children and families? To…

This volume in the Applied Developmental Psychology Series consists of a collection of papers on current sibling research and theory. Prominent researchers and academicians in developmental psychology present reports on aspects of sibling relations in an effort to better understand individual and family growth. These scholars have dealt with…

The research described in this article addressed the question of why siblings commonly have different developmental outcomes despite their common beginnings. The studies analyzed behavioral development, especially through examination of deviant behaviors and intellectual development, by tracing siblings' different life histories. The work is based…

This study investigated sibling interaction patterns in middle childhood as predictors of adjustment outcomes in males during adolescence and early adulthood using a social interactional perspective. It was theorized that negative interaction during middle childhood with siblings and parents would be the most powerful predictor of adjustment in…

This study explored the teaching and learning of school-related knowledge and skills in the home of a Spanish-dominant Puerto Rican kindergartner. The teachers, in this case, were the child's older siblings. The study was part of a larger exploration of language use in the classroom versus the home during activities defined by adults as lessons.…

Synthesizing the methodologies of developmental psychology, family sociology, and systems theory, this 15-month longitudinal study examined familial role adjustments in 41 suburban families after the birth of a second child. Using interviews, observations, and rating scales, the study examined families during the third trimester of the second…

The genocide in Rwanda has resulted in that country having many child-headed households. This unusual phenomenon has set Rwanda apart from its neighboring countries. This book of photographic portraits and stories of Rwandan children and adolescents in families living without adult support or supervision conveys the complexity and diversity of…

Within the framework of a model that defined a social network as a dynamic hierarchic structure within which individuals exchange support with one another throughout their lifetime, two studies explored the development of social support networks during childhood. In the first study, 90 children in kindergarten and grades 4 and 8 at a private…