The confluence model: Birth order as a within-family or between-family dynamic?

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Volumn 33, Issue 9, 2007, Pages 1187-1194

  Zajonc, R B ^a   Sulloway, Frank J ^b  

^a STANFORD UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

Author keywords

Birth order; Confluence model; Intellectual performance

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; BIRTH ORDER; CHILD; FAMILY SIZE; HUMAN; INTELLIGENCE; REVIEW; THEORETICAL MODEL; UNITED STATES;

ADOLESCENT; BIRTH ORDER; CHILD; FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS; HUMANS; INTELLIGENCE; MODELS, THEORETICAL; UNITED STATES;

EID: 34548082318     PISSN: 01461672     EISSN: 15527433     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0146167207303017     Document Type: Review

References (44)

1. Altus, W.D. (1965). Birth order and scholastic aptitude. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 29, 202-205.
2. Arthur, W.D. (1926). The relation of IQ to position in family. Journal of Educational Psychology, 17, 541-550.
3. Belmont, L., & Marolla, F.A. (1973). Birth order, family size, and intelligence. Science, 182, 1096-1101.
4. Bjerkedal, T., Kristensen, P., Skjeret, G.A., & Brevik, J.I. (in press). Intelligence test scores and birth order among young Norwegian men (conscripts) analyzed within and between families. Intelligence, DOI:10.1016/j.intell.2007.01.004.
5. Breland, H.M. (1974). Birth order, family configuration, and verbal achievement. Child Development, 45, 1011-1019.
6. Burton, D. (1968). Birth order and intelligence. Journal of Social Psychology, 76, 199-206.
7. Cicirelli, V.G. (1977). Children's school grades and sibling structure. Psychological Reports, 41, 1055-1058.
8. Claudy, J.G., Gross, D., & Strause, R. (1974). Family size, birth order, and characteristics of young adults [Final Report AIR-41900-10/74-FR]. Palo Alto, CA: American Institute for Research.
9. Davis, D., Cahan, S., & Bashi, J. (1977). Birth order and intellectual development: The confluence model in the light of cross-cultural evidence. Science, 196, 1470-1472.
10. Douglas, J.W.B. (1964). The home and the school: A study of ability and attainment in the primary school. London: Macgibbon & Kee.
11. Ernst, C., & Angst, J. (1983). Birth order: Its influence on personality. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
12. Eysenck, H.J., & Cookson. D. (1970). Personality in primary school children: 3. Family background. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 40, 117-131.
13. Galbraith, R.C. (1982). Sibling spacing and intellectual development: A closer look at the confluence models. Developmental Psychology, 18, 181-191.
14. Gille, R., Henry, L., Tabah, L., Sutter, J., Bergues, H., Girard, A., & Bastide, H. (1954). Le niveau intellectuel des enfant d'age scolaire: Cahier No. 23. La dtermination des aptitudes, l'influence des facteurs constitutionnels, familiaux et sociaux. Institut National d'tudes Dmographiques. Paris: Presses Universitaire de France.
15. Hertwig, R., Davis, J.N., & Sulloway, F.J. (2002). Parental investment: How an equity motive can produce inequality. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 728-745.
16. Hsiao, H.H. (1931). The status of the first-born with special reference to intelligence. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 9, 43-115.
17. Institut National d'tudes Dmographiques. (1973). Enquiête nationale sur le niveau intellectuel des enfants d'ge scolaire [National survey of intellectual level of school-age children]. Paris: Presses Universitaire de France.
18. Koch, H.L. (1954). The relation of "primary mental abilities " in five-and six-year-olds to sex of child and characteristics of his sibling. Child Development, 25, 209-223.
19. Kristensen, P., & Bjerkedal, T. (2007) Explaining the relation between birth order and intelligence. Science, 317, 1717.
20. Kunz, P.R., & Peterson, E.T. (1977). Family size, birth order, and academic achievement. Social Biology, 24, 144-148.
21. Page, E.B., & Grandon, G.M. (1979). Family configuration and mental ability: Two theories contrasted with U.S. data. American Educational Research Journal, 16, 257-272.
22. Richardson, S.K. (1936). The correlation of intelligence quotients of siblings at the same chronological age levels. Journal of Juvenile Research, 20, 186-197.
23. Rosenberg, B.G., & Sutton-Smith, B. (1969). Sibling age spacing effects upon cognition. Journal of Developmental Psychology, 1, 661-668.
24. Rosenthal, R., Rosnow, R.L., & Rubin, D.B. (2000). Contrasts and effect sizes in behavioral research: A correlational approach. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
25. Rosenthal, R., & Rubin, D. 2003. requivalent: A simple effect size indicator. Psychological Methods, 8, 492-496.
26. Rosnow, R.L., & Rosenthal, R. 2003. Effect sizes for experimenting psychologists. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 57, 221-237.
27. Schachter, S. (1963). Birth order, eminence and higher education. American Sociological Review, 28, 757-768.
28. Scottish Council for Research on Education. (1949). The trend of Scottish intelligence. London: University of London Press.
29. Steckel, M.L. (1930). Intelligence and birth order. Journal of Social Psychology, 1, 329-344.
30. Steelman, L.C., & Mercy, J.A. (1980). Unconfounding the confluence model: A test of sibship size and birth order effects on intelligence. American Sociological Review, 45, 571-582.
31. Sulloway, F.J. (1996). Born to rebel: Birth order, family dynamics, and creative lives. New York: Pantheon.
32. Sulloway, F.J. (2007 a). Birth order and sibling competition. In R. Dunbar & L. Barrett (Eds.), Handbook of evolutionary psychology (pp. 297-311). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
33. Sulloway, F.J. (2007 b). Birth order and intelligence. Science, 317, 1711-1712.
34. Svanum, S., & Bringle, R.G. (1980). Evaluation of confluence model variables on IQ and achievement test scores in a sample of 6- to 11-year-old children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 427-436.
35. Tabah, L., & Sutter, L. (1954 a). Le niveau intellectuel des enfants d'une même famille [The intellectual level of children of the same family]. In R. Gille, L. Henry, L. Tabah, J. Sutter, H. Bergues, A. Girard, & H. Bastide, Le niveau intellectuel des enfants d'ge scolaire: Cahier No. 23. La dtermination des aptitudes, l'influence des facteurs constitutionnels, familiaux et sociaux. Institut National d'tudes Dmographiques (pp. 97-138). Paris: Presses Universitaire de France.
36. Tabah, L., & Sutter, J. (1954 b). Le niveau intellectuel des enfants d'une meme famille. Annals of Human Genetics, 19, 120-150.
37. Velandia, W., Grandon, G.M., & Page, E.B. (1978). Family size, birth order, and intelligence in a large South American sample. American Educational Research Journal, 15, 399-416.
38. Wichman, A.L., Rodgers, J.L., & MacCallum, R.C. (2006). A multilevel approach to the relationship between birth order and intelligence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 117-127.
39. Zajonc, R.B. (1976). Family configuration and intelligence. Science, 192, 227-236.
40. Zajonc, R.B. (1983). Validating the confluence model. Psychological Bulletin, 93, 457-480.
41. Zajonc, R.B. (2001). The family dynamics of intellectual development. American Psychologist, 56, 490-496.
42. Zajonc, R.B., & Bargh, J. (1980). Birth order, family size, and decline of SAT scores. American Psychologist, 35, 662-668.
43. Zajonc, R.B., Markus, H., & Markus, G.B. (1979). The birth order puzzle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1325-1341.
44. Zajonc, R.B., & Mullally, P.R. (1997). Birth order: Reconciling conflicting effects. American Psychologist, 52, 685-699.