BIRTH-ORDER EFFECTS IN THE ACADEMICALLY TALENTED

Birth-order position was studied among 828 academically talented stude nts from a national sample collected by the Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth of Johns Hopkins University. When compared to 19 90 U.S. Census Bureau data, this sample was disproportionately compose d of first-born students. However, much of this birth order effect can be explained by the covariate of family size, with small families ove rrepresented among the gifted. First-born students tended to get highe r verbal scores on the secondary School Admissions Test while youngest -born tended to do better in math. Students were administered the Rott er Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Multidimensional perfectionism Scale, the Adjective Check List, the NEO Five Factor inventory, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Except for a mild relationship betwee n birth order and perfectionistic type, there was no relationship foun d between birth-order position and personality and adjustment. It is b elieved that often reported birth-order position effects are strongly related to the covariance of family size.