On the social advantages of having an older, opposite-sex sibling: Birth order influences in mixed-sex dyads.

Abstract

This study examined the influences of birth order on behavior occurring in the initial, unstructured interactions of 40 mixed-sex dyads composed of a man and a woman who each had a sibling of the opposite sex. The design contrasted four different dyad types: (a) a firstborn man paired with a firstborn woman, (b) a firstborn man paired with a last born woman, (c) a last born man paired with a firstborn woman and (d) a last born man paired with a last born woman. Results indicated that individuals with an older, opposite-sex sibling were particularly likely to have rewarding interactions with strangers of the opposite sex. Relative to firstborn men, last born men talked nearly twice as long, asked more questions, and evoked more gazes, verbal reinforcers, and self-reported liking from their female partners. Relative to firstborn women, last bora women were more likely to initiate the interaction and to exceed the rate at which their male partners smiled. These findings are inconsistent with Toman's (1961Toman's ( , 1976) "family constellation" theory but are consistent with the results of various empirical studies that have also documented the greater social skills of later borns.

Adolescents' Sex‐Typed Friendship Experiences: Does Having a Sister versus a Brother Matter?

“…First, in accordance with social learning theory (Mischel, 1966), a series of studies has shown that laterborns model their behavior after their older siblings, assuming sex-typed qualities similar to those of their sisters or brothers (Bigner, 1972;Brim, 1958;Greenfield & Weatherley, 1986;Koch, 1960;Rosenberg & Sutton-Smith, 1964, 1968Sutton-Smith & Rosenberg, 1965, 1970. Along these lines, two studies that examined the relationship between sibling sex constellation and older adolescents' interaction styles found some support for a modeling hypothesis (Greenfield & Weatherley, 1986;Ickes & Turner, 1983). Based on a study of college-aged students with older versus younger opposite-sex siblings, Ickes and Turner (1983) reported that males who had older sisters displayed more expressive qualities (e.g., initiated more conversation, asked more questions) in dyadic interactions with an unknown member of the opposite sex.…”

“…Along these lines, two studies that examined the relationship between sibling sex constellation and older adolescents' interaction styles found some support for a modeling hypothesis (Greenfield & Weatherley, 1986;Ickes & Turner, 1983). Based on a study of college-aged students with older versus younger opposite-sex siblings, Ickes and Turner (1983) reported that males who had older sisters displayed more expressive qualities (e.g., initiated more conversation, asked more questions) in dyadic interactions with an unknown member of the opposite sex. Other work, also focused on college-aged youth, suggested that having a sister was associated with greater perceived comfort in interactions with a same-sex friend (Greenfield & Weatherley, 1986).…”

“…In this way, sibling influences parallel those of parents. An additional consideration, however, is that girls with brothers may have more opportunities to interact with or observe opposite-sex peers through contact with members of their brothers' social networks (Ickes & Turner, 1983). Future studies that are observational in nature will provide clues about the processes involved.…”

“…Our evidence for social learning versus de-identification models is based on the pattern of between-and within-family differences. Although previous work suggests that sibling influences are stronger for younger than for older siblings, these studies have not focused on young adolescent sibling pairs (Brim, 1958;Grotevant, 1978;Ickes & Turner, 1983;Koch, 1960). The greater mutuality in adolescents' sibling relationships (Buhrmester & Furman, 1990) may mean that "sibling effects" on sex-typing will be found for both firstborns and secondborns during this developmental period.…”

“…Having a sister versus a brother has been linked to sex-typing in children's and adolescents' personal characteristics, interests, and behaviors (Bigner, 1972;Brim, 1958;Grotevant, 1978;Ickes & Turner, 1983;Koch, 1960;Leventhal, 1970;Sutton-Smith, 1982). Most of this work has focused on the potential influences of siblings' sex on young children's sex-typed personality qualities (Brim, 1958;Koch, 1960;Sutton-Smith, 1982).…”