A 7 page research paper that focuses on a study article by Falbo (1981). The writer addresses how the study was conducted and what it tells readers concerning achievement and interpersonal personality characteristics as they relate to birth order. This examination also relates this study to the general topic of birth order, current research and theories of personality development. Bibliography lists 7 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: D0_khfalbo.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
to personality development and also birth order necessarily indicates circumstances that are unique to each child. For example, "the special relationship that first and only borns have with their parents
has been described as engendering greater affiliation among first and only borns than among later borns" (Falbo, 1981, p. 121). In other words, these children receive their parents undivided attention
and this necessarily has a profound effect on their subsequent personality development. The intention of this paper is to discuss a research study, specifically Falbo (1981), how it
was conducted and what it tells readers concerning achievement and interpersonal personality characteristics as they relate to birth order. This examination will relate this study to the general topic of
birth order, current research and theories of personality development. Study summary The purpose is "to examine birth order effects in two areas of personality functioning: interpersonal and achievement orientation" (Falbo,
1981, p. 121). The author discusses in his introduction that fact that birth order is an inaccurate term when it groups firstborns and only-children into one category. Falbo differentiates between
only children and firstborns by using the term "birth category," rather than "birth order," as only children are actually "simultaneously first and last borns" (Falbo, 1981, p. 121). In this
manner, Falbos research differs from previous study and increases the conceptual accuracy of his results. Study discussion Hypotheses: The researcher hypothesized that "only children will be lonelier and more
self-centered than people who grew up with siblings" (Falbo, 1981, p. 124). Additionally, the author speculated that birth category influences would result in discernible differences in achievement and measures of
interpersonal orientation. Method: The instruments used were the "Work and Family Orientation Scale (WOFO," which has established reliability and validity; a modified version of the "Internal-External Locus of Control