Cross-Cultural Study of Some Correlates of Birth Order
The purpose of the present study was to test the cross-cultural validity of the relationship found in Western samples between birth order and college attendance, volunteering behavior, and level of academic achievement. Information concerning birth order and family size was obtained on three sub-samples: (a) 200 freshman Arab students, (b) 97 Arab undergraduates, and (c) 45 Arab undergraduates placed on the Dean's Honor List. Ss in samples (b) and (c) were asked whether they would volunteer to participate in small group experiments or not. In general, the results obtained in this study do not corroborate previous findings on birth order. Thus, firstborns were not found to attend college in greater numbers than later borns. Furthermore, firstborns were not found to volunteer for small group experiments in greater numbers than later borns, nor was there any significant relationship found between birth order and level of academic achievement.