The Influences of Birth Order, Family Size and Sex Differences on Risk‐taking Behaviour

The study suggests the importance of family size as a factor in psychological research dealing with ecological variables and the effects of birth order, family size and sex differences on risk-taking behaviour were examined.

Abstract

The effects of birth order, family size and sex differences on risk‐taking behaviour were examined. The subjects were 84 10–12‐year‐old children of both sexes. The risk‐taking task was derived from Slovic (1966). Three hypotheses were tested. First‐born, youngest and intermediate siblings did not differ in the amount of risk they accepted. Subjects from smaller families accepted less risk than subjects from larger families ( P 0<05). Male and female subjects did not differ significantly in the amount of risk they accepted. The major finding from the study suggests the importance of family size as a factor in psychological research dealing with ecological variables.