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There is much attention given to birth order’s influence on personality in popular culture. This
study seeks to examine whether our fascination with birth order and personality has more to do with our
perceptions and expectations about birth order than it does with an accurate assessment family
experiences on personality development.
Hypothesis
We expected that there will be common personality characteristics among children who occupy the same
position within their respective families.
This is correlational research since we are looking for associations among naturally occurring variables as
opposed to an experimental study where a researcher introduces a change and then monitors its effects.
The variables we are investigating are birth order and scores on the personality measures.
Participants
We were working in collaboration with family physicians and public health clinics in twenty Canadian cities
(ten urban centres and ten rural municipalities) and over a period of six months. We extended invitations
to participate to all families bringing in a non-firstborn child for their nine-month well baby visit and to
families bringing their infant in for their 12 month vaccinations.
We had a total of 200 families participate. There was an average of 2.5 children per family with a total
number of 500 children involved. The socio-economic background and ethnicities of participants was
consistent with the most recent census data.
Methods
This was a longitudinal study carried out over a ten-year period. Our researchers completed assessments
of the children on an annual basis and also had parents complete questionnaires assessing their children’s
temperament and personality and development each year. Our researchers examined children along the
big five dimensions of personality: extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and
neuroticism. This was not feasible with young infants and toddlers so we assessed the temperament and
attachment styles for infants and toddlers.
Results
After we analyzed the data, we concluded that the results do not support the hypothesis that birth order
has a significant impact on personality development. There was no consistent relationship between where
a child was situated in their family order and the level of extraversion, agreeableness, openness,
conscientiousness, and neuroticism. What researchers did note was that there was incredible stability
over time with children’s scores on the Big Five and there was strong correlation between temperament
and personality. We feel that this indicates that future research considerations should examine the stability
of personality throughout early childhood and into adulthood.
Applications
It is hoped that the insights from this research can inform new directions in personality research,
specifically, the rigidity, flexibility and stability of personality.
Ms. Vaessen’s Hypothetical Research Assignment Example (includes assessment rubric)
We feel confident that the results are representative and can be generalized to the wider Canadian
context because of the care taken to achieve a random sample of robust size.
Sample Evaluation: