Abstract
Many studies have indicated that children’s performance on intelligence or achievement tests varies with family constellation factors such as number of children in the family, spacing between children, and the birth order of the child (Belmont & Marolla, 1973; Belmont, Stein, & Susser, 1975; Dandes && Dow, 1969; Davis, Cahan, & Bashi, 1976; Kellaghan & MacNamara, 1972; Kennett & Cropley, 1970; Marjoribanks, Walberg, & Bargen, 1975; Zajonc, 1976; Zajonc & Markus, 1975) as well as with socioeconomic status (SES) of the parents (Laosa, chapter 1; Lesser, Fifer, & Clark, 1965; Mumbauer & Miller, 1970; Thomas, 1971; Tulkin, 1968). In general it has been found that children from small families, families with large spacing between children, first-born children, and middle- or upper-class children perform better than other children on tests of intellectual ability.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Belmont, L., & Marolla, F. A. Birth order, family size and intelligence. Science, 1973, 182, 1096–1101.
Belmont, L., Stein, Z. A., & Susser, M. W. Comparison of associations of birth order with intelligence test score and height. Nature, 1975, 255, 54–56.
Bradley, R. H., Caldwell, B. M., & Elardo, R. Home environment and cognitive development in the first two years: A cross-lagged panel analysis. Developmental Psychology, 1979, 15, 246–250.
Bronfenbrenner, U. Socialization and social class through time and space. In E. E. Maccoby, T.M. Newcomb, & E. L. Hartley (Eds.), Readings in social psychology. New York: Holt, 1958.
Bronfenbrenner, U. Contexts of childrearing: Problems and prospects. American Psychologist, 1979, 34, 844–850.
Campbell, F. L. Family growth and variation in the family role structure. Journal of Marriageand the Family, 1970, 32, 45–53.
Cicirelli, V. G. Effects of mother and older sibling on the problem solving behavior of the older child. Developmental Psychology, 1975, 11, 749–756.
Cicirelli, V. G. Effects of mother and older sibling on child’s conceptual style. Journal ofGenetic Psychology, 1977, 131, 309–318.
Dandes, H. M., & Dow, D. Relation of intelligence to family size and density. ChildDevelopment, 1969, 40, 629–640.
Davis, D. J., Cahan, S., & Bashi, J. Birth order and intellectual development: The confluence model in the light of cross-cultural evidence. Science, 1976, 15, 1470–1472.
Elder, G. H. Structural variations in the child rearing relationship. Sociometry, 1962, 25, 241–262.
Elder, G. H., & Bowerman, C. E. Family structure and child rearing patterns: The effect of family size and sex composition. American Sociological Review, 1963, 28, 891–905.
Kellaghan, T., & MacNamara, J. Family correlates of verbal reasoning ability. DevelopmentalPsychology, 1972, 7, 49–53.
Kelly, G. A. The psychology of personal constructs. New York: Norton, 1955.
Kelly, G. A. A theory of personality. New York: Norton, 1963.
Kennett, K. F., & Cropley, A. J. Intelligence, family size and socioeconomic status. Journal ofBiosocial Science, 1970, 2, 227–236.
Kohn, M. L. Class and conformity: A study in values. Homewood, Ill.: Dorsey, 1969.
Kohn, M. L. Social class and parental values: Another confirmation of the relationship. American Sociological Review. 1976, 41, 538–545.
Landfield, A. W., & Leitner, L. M. (Eds.). Personal construct psychology: Psychotherapy andpersonality. New York: Wiley, 1980.
Laosa, L. M. Maternal teaching strategies in Chicano and Anglo-American families: The influence of culture and education on maternal behavior. Child Development, 1980, 51, 759–765.(a)
Laosa, L. M. The impact of schooling on interactions between parents and children. Paper presented at the Conference on Changing Families, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, N.J., November 1980. (b)
Lesser, G. S., Fifer, G., & Clark, C. Mental abilities of children from different social class and cultural groups. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 1965, 30, 1–115.
Marjoribanks, K. Families and their learning environments: An empirical analysis. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1979.
Marjoribanks, K., Walberg, H. J., & Bargen, M. Mental abilities: Sibling constellation and social class correlates. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 1975, 14, 109–116.
McGillicuddy-DeLisi, A. V. The role of parental beliefs in the family as a system of mutual influences. Family Relations, 1980, 29, 317–323.
Mumbauer, C. C., & Miller, J. O. Socioeconomic background and cognitive functioning in preschool children. Child Development, 1970, 41, 461–470.
Sigel, I. E. Consciousness raising of individual competence in problem solving. In M. W. Kent & J. E. Rolf (Eds.), Primary prevention of psychopathology, (Vol. Ill): Social competencein children. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 1979.
Sigel, I. E., McGillicuddy-Delisi, A. V., & Johnson, J. E. Parental distancing, beliefs andchildren’s representational competence within the family context (ETS RB 80–21). Princeton, N.J.: Educational Testing Service, 1980.
Sutherland, K. Discussion of findings of the Parenting Resources Implementation Model (PRIMO) Project. Personal communication, November 15, 1979.
Thomas, E. C. Conceptual development in advantaged and disadvantaged kindergarten children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1971, 32, 711–717.
Tulkin, S. R. Race, class, family and school achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1968, 9, 31–37.
Zajonc, R. B. Family configuration and intelligence. Science, 1976, 192, 227–236.
Zajonc, R. B., & Markus, G. B. Birth order and intellectual development. Psychological Review, 1975, 82, 74–88.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1982 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McGillicuddy-DeLisi, A.V. (1982). The Relationship between Parents’ Beliefs about Development and Family Constellation, Socioeconomic Status, and Parents’ Teaching Strategies. In: Laosa, L.M., Sigel, I.E. (eds) Families as Learning Environments for Children. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4172-7_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-4172-7_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-4174-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-4172-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive