Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 60-68 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
| Volume | 1531 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Jan 2024 |
Abstract
Why is the empirical evidence for birth-order effects on human psychology so inconsistent? In contrast to the influential view that competitive dynamics among siblings permanently shape a person's personality, we find evidence that these effects are limited to the family environment. We tested this context-specific learning hypothesis in the domain of risk taking, using two large survey datasets from Germany (SOEP, n = 19,994) and the United States (NLSCYA, n = 29,627) to examine birth-order effects on risk-taking propensity across a wide age range. Specification-curve analyses of a sample of 49,621 observations showed that birth-order effects are prevalent in children aged 10–13 years, but that they decline with age and disappear by middle adulthood. The methodological approach shows the effect is robust. We thus replicate and extend previous work in which we showed no birth-order effects on adult risk taking. We conclude that family dynamics cause birth-order effects on risk taking but that these effects fade as siblings transition out of the home.
Keywords
- birth order, family dynamics, multiverse analysis, risk attitude, risk taking, specification-curve analysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
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In: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 1531, No. 1, 18.01.2024, p. 60-68.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Birth-order effects on risk taking are limited to the family environment
AU - Lejarraga, Tomás
AU - Schnitzlein, Daniel D.
AU - Dahmann, Sarah C.
AU - Hertwig, Ralph
N1 - Funding Information: We thank Susannah Goss for editing the manuscript. Dahmann gratefully acknowledges funding from the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025). Schnitzlein gratefully acknowledges funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG), grant number SCHN 1501/3-1.
PY - 2024/1/18
Y1 - 2024/1/18
N2 - Why is the empirical evidence for birth-order effects on human psychology so inconsistent? In contrast to the influential view that competitive dynamics among siblings permanently shape a person's personality, we find evidence that these effects are limited to the family environment. We tested this context-specific learning hypothesis in the domain of risk taking, using two large survey datasets from Germany (SOEP, n = 19,994) and the United States (NLSCYA, n = 29,627) to examine birth-order effects on risk-taking propensity across a wide age range. Specification-curve analyses of a sample of 49,621 observations showed that birth-order effects are prevalent in children aged 10–13 years, but that they decline with age and disappear by middle adulthood. The methodological approach shows the effect is robust. We thus replicate and extend previous work in which we showed no birth-order effects on adult risk taking. We conclude that family dynamics cause birth-order effects on risk taking but that these effects fade as siblings transition out of the home.
AB - Why is the empirical evidence for birth-order effects on human psychology so inconsistent? In contrast to the influential view that competitive dynamics among siblings permanently shape a person's personality, we find evidence that these effects are limited to the family environment. We tested this context-specific learning hypothesis in the domain of risk taking, using two large survey datasets from Germany (SOEP, n = 19,994) and the United States (NLSCYA, n = 29,627) to examine birth-order effects on risk-taking propensity across a wide age range. Specification-curve analyses of a sample of 49,621 observations showed that birth-order effects are prevalent in children aged 10–13 years, but that they decline with age and disappear by middle adulthood. The methodological approach shows the effect is robust. We thus replicate and extend previous work in which we showed no birth-order effects on adult risk taking. We conclude that family dynamics cause birth-order effects on risk taking but that these effects fade as siblings transition out of the home.
KW - birth order
KW - family dynamics
KW - multiverse analysis
KW - risk attitude
KW - risk taking
KW - specification-curve analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85182951453&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/nyas.15085
DO - 10.1111/nyas.15085
M3 - Article
C2 - 37983197
AN - SCOPUS:85182951453
VL - 1531
SP - 60
EP - 68
JO - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
JF - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
SN - 0077-8923
IS - 1
ER -