How does birth order affect psychological and social development? Birth order and its effects on psychological and social development are a controversial topic that has been studied by many researchers (Skinner & Fox-Francoeur, 2010; Dunkel, Harbke, & Papini, 2009; Hartshorne, Salem-Hartshorne, & Hartshorne , 2009; Sulloway, 1996; Kessler, 1991; Researchers have hypothesized that birth order affects many developmental characteristics such as personality (Skinner and Fox-Francoeur, 2010; Dunkel et al., 2009; Sulloway, 1996), intelligence (Iacovou, 2007; Holmgren et al., 2006; Rodgers, 2001; Kessler, 1991), creativity (Baer et al., 2005) and relationship formation (Hartshorne et al., 2009). Trying to find evidence that birth order can be used to predict future traits is common in studies of birth order effects, but like many factors other than birth order. can affect personality, intellectual, creative and relational development (Santrock, 2011). difficult to study the effects of birth order. Confounding variables are common in birth order studies, making it a debatable topic (Hartshorne et al., 2009). How does birth order affect personality? Personality is a consistent, yet flexible pattern of behavior and emotion that varies from person to person (Comer, 2010). An individual's personality, or temperament, begins in childhood and continues to expand and develop throughout life (Santrock, 2011). Personality can be influenced by a number of factors, such as genetics, learning, experience, or a combination of these (Comer, 2010). Birth order and its effects on personality...... middle of paper ......1), 67-77. doi:10.1207/s15326934crj1701_6Rodgers, Joseph Lee. (2001). What causes birth order and intelligence patterns? The mixing hypothesis has been revived. American Psychologist, 56(6-7), 505-510. doi: 1O.1O37//O0O3-O66X.56.6-7.5O5Sulloway, Frank J. (1996). Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives. New York, NY, USA: Pantheon Books. Kessler, Daniel. (1991). Birth order, family size, and achievement: family structure and wage determination. Journal of Labor Economics, 9, 413-426. Galton, Francis. (1874). English men of science. London: Macmillan. Santrock, John W. (2011). Lifespan Development (13th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Comer, Ronald J. (2008). Abnormal Psychology (7th ed.) New York: Worth Publishers. Kirton, Michael J. (2003). Adaptation-innovation: In a context of diversity and change. New York, NY: Routledge. IDENTIFIER: 278229