Birth Order, Motor Performance, and Maternal Influence

Abstract

The effects of birth order on the motor performance of six- and seven-year-old children and on mothers' and children's aspirations for future performance were examined. First- and second-born boys and girls (N = 24) and their mothers (N = 24) were tested on a low harm-anxiety task (rolling a ball for accuracy) and a high harm-anxiety task (jumping from heights up to 6 ft). First-borns performed better (i.e., more consistently) than second-borns (p > .05) on the low harm-anxiety task, and mother's aspirations for her first-born child and that child's aspirations for himself on that task were significantly higher than those for second-borns. In contrast, second-borns displayed significantly greater physical risk in the high harm-anxiety task, and these children and their mothers expressed significantly higher aspirations than those expressed for first-born children. These findings are discussed in relation to varying patterns of mother-child interaction.