TY - JOUR
T1 - The relationship between birth order and prosociality
T2 - An evolutionary perspective
AU - Salmon, Catherine
AU - Cuthbertson, Alyssa Marie
AU - Figueredo, Aurelio José
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd.
PY - 2016/7/1
Y1 - 2016/7/1
N2 - Much of the research on birth order has focused on individual differences in personality traits, with relatively few studies focused on aspects of social behavior other than sibling conflict. However, one would predict that the differences in parental investment and niche differentiation that shape personality differences between siblings would also influence other social relationships. In particular, middleborns may be more likely to prioritize non-kin relationships. This study investigated the impact of birth order on a number of measures of prosocial behavior. Results suggest that birth order has a moderate effect on prosociality such that later birth orders exhibit greater prosociality. However, both the linear and quadratic effects were significant and the quadratic was negative indicating that the greatest increase in prosociality is seen between first and secondborns, the rate of change decelerates as birth order and prosociality increase.
AB - Much of the research on birth order has focused on individual differences in personality traits, with relatively few studies focused on aspects of social behavior other than sibling conflict. However, one would predict that the differences in parental investment and niche differentiation that shape personality differences between siblings would also influence other social relationships. In particular, middleborns may be more likely to prioritize non-kin relationships. This study investigated the impact of birth order on a number of measures of prosocial behavior. Results suggest that birth order has a moderate effect on prosociality such that later birth orders exhibit greater prosociality. However, both the linear and quadratic effects were significant and the quadratic was negative indicating that the greatest increase in prosociality is seen between first and secondborns, the rate of change decelerates as birth order and prosociality increase.
KW - Altruism
KW - Birth order
KW - Parental investment
KW - Prosociality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84961171117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84961171117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2016.02.066
DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2016.02.066
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84961171117
SN - 0191-8869
VL - 96
SP - 18
EP - 22
JO - Personality and Individual Differences
JF - Personality and Individual Differences
ER -