Is birth order really a signpost for adult life? Scientists doubt it.

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Is birth order really a signpost for adult life? Scientists doubt it

Birth order, according to conventional wisdom, moulds personality: Firstborn children, secure with their place in the family and expected to be the mature ones, grow up to be intellectual, responsible and conformist. Younger siblings work harder to get their parents’ attention, take more risks and become creative rebels.an influential book on birth order that burst, like a water balloon lobbed by an attention-seeking third-born, onto the pop psychology scene 20 years ago.

‘‘Our results indicate that birth order does not influence the propensity to take risks in adults,’’ said Hertwig’s collaborator Tomas Lejarraga, director of the Decision Science Laboratory at Spain’s University of the Balearic Islands. ‘‘There seems to be a growing consensus that birth order does not influence personality in a way that can be measured in adulthood.’’

Neither did examining the birth orders of almost 200 people who made the ‘‘risky life decision’’ to become revolutionaries or explorers, such as mountaineer Edmund Hillary, guerrilla fighter Che Guevara and socialist activist Rosa Luxemburg. The studies by Schmukle and Damian found evidence that birth order does slightly influence intelligence. Firstborns, on average, had an advantage of an IQ point or two. Other birth order studies have found this, too. One hypothesis suggests that parents provide more mental stimulation to firstborns, especially before the parents’ energy and attention are divided among their other children.

 

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Is birth order really a signpost for adult life? Scientists doubt it.Birth order, so the conventional wisdom goes, moulds our personality. The trouble is there is now a growing pile of scientific evidence that says otherwise. Read John Bradshaw's brilliant analysis of the roles children in families play in 'The Family' - and you will have a completely different take on it. No how many people have siblings nowadays? how many people have too many siblings & are shorted because there isn't enough to go around? how many people have to compete for mom & dad's attention with many siblings?
Source: theage - 🏆 8. / 77 Read more »

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One in three Australian adults suffer with low literacy skills | Sky News AustraliaMore than one in three Australian adults have literacy skills so low they are vulnerable to unemployment and social exclusion, according to new figures. \n\nThe problem stems from students falling through the cracks at school, with one in seven failing to reach baseline literacy standards by age 15. \n\nTerri Martin from Dymocks Children’s Charities says adults often succumb to literacy problems if they do not have access to good quality books when they are young. \n\nShe says ‘you don’t actually have to go far from inner city areas to find children with literacy challenges, so there’s a widespread problem’. \n\nBy providing brand new books to children and schools across the country, she says Dymocks Kids Charities is trying to reduce those statistics. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n studyACU ESIaustralia Genuinely interested parents home school because it's better. Australia's education system is a basket case. Even prisoners in the US are better educated. studyACU ESIaustralia Kevin - you admitted you found out your Yr 4 child couldn’t read. What had you been doing as a parent until then? studyACU ESIaustralia Maths/science & English The rest get integrated into those 2
Source: SkyNewsAust - 🏆 7. / 78 Read more »

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