What Is Birth Order?

Imagine a society where intelligence is pre-determined by one’s birth order. An individual’s birth position within a family such as the first-born and the last-born was sufficient to conclude one’s level of intelligence. Just like that, findings were being discovered about the sudden relationship between birth order and intelligence. For example, “first-born children tend to be more verbally articulate, less impulsive, more active, better performers in school, more likely to go to college, and tend to have a greater need to achieve” Therefore, studies have found that earlier-born children tend to score higher on tests of intelligence and aptitude than those born into the family later. In addition, Robert Zajonc, one of the foremost researchers …show more content…
However, the authors believed, “children will attain higher intellectual capacities if they grow up in environments that provide greater intellectual stimulation” Thus, Zajonc and Markus proposed the theory that as family increases, the average intellectual climate of the family decreases. That is, a family’s intellectual environment can be calculated by averaging the intellectual contributions of all the family members. For example, when there are three children in a family the average intellectual climate is 46.0, whereas it would be 43.3 in regards to four children). Overall, the authors can only address possible reasons to justify their theory that each successive child born inserts a lower average intellectual …show more content…
For instance, the starting point of the first-born at 67.0 in average intellectual climate to at 5 children it being as low as 42.9 and then it shoots up to 62.5 as the last-born of 10 children). As a member of a family of five, I always believed that first-born children were often cheated. They are thrown into the world with no guidance but a set of expectations to measure up to. Although the average intellectual climate is higher amongst the first-born at 67.0, they carry the burden and pressure of others on their shoulders. In fear of comparison, new parents tend to be stricter with the first-born child. The rules are more strategically enforced in which experience is often the lesson learned. Unlike the second-born, they have no one to show them the difference between right and wrong. For example, if a first-born is being potty trained and continues to wet the bed after warned not to; the parent will without hesitation instill punishment. However, if the second or third-born decides to disobey and wet the bed after being told not to, the parents would be more understanding and most likely let it slide. Hence, the favoring and benefits increase in strength if the time gaps between siblings are further