Abstract
Ninety-six middle-class subjects equally divided by age (4–5, 8–9, and 14–15 years), sex, and the presence or absence of younger siblings in the family were studied in two situations which assessed their interest in babies: responsivity to an unfamiliar baby in a waiting room situation and reactions to pictures of babies. Subjects' birth order does not affect degree of interest, only mode of expression. These findings held for boys, but not girls. Regardless of age, boys without younger siblings expressed their interest in babies in more distal, cautious ways. The results were discussed in terms of the contention that birth order effects are best understood as distinctive for each sex, especially when sex-role-related behavior is being investigated.
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This project was supported by funds from the Boys Town Center for the Study of Youth at Stanford. We are indebted to Barbara Aschenbrenner for her assistance in all phases of this study.
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Nash, S.C., Feldman, S.S. Sex-related differences in the relationship between sibling status and responsivity to babies. Sex Roles 7, 1035–1042 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288504
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00288504