Scientists have long believed that birth order plays a large part in determining ones character traits and career choices. Norwegian scientists have released a study that shows first-borns enjoy on average an IQ advantage of three points over the next in line. The second child in turn, they discovered, is a point ahead of the third. The differences may seem small but the effect, they say, can be enormous. In the Philippines, studies show that last-born siblings tend to be shorter and weigh less than their taller first-born siblings, and tend to go into less prestigious professions. The statistics seem to suggest that there is more than a little truth in the findings. In a recent poll of 1,583 chief executive officers in America, 53 per cent were first-born. This higher achievement is probably caused partly by the amount of attention paid to first-borns by their parents while still an only child, and partly because the eldest devotes time to mentoring their younger siblings. Dr Richard Woolfson, a Glasgow-based child psychologist, acknowledges that parents put their all into their first child. By the time the others come along, they are more relaxed, knowing what is important and what isnt and, it has been said, they have less time. Dr Woolfson is a firm believer in the theory that birth order is partly responsible for certain characteristics. But this doesnt mean that all first-borns share the same ones, he says. Only that the tendencies are there. Some first-borns are brighter because, unconsciously, there are more expectations of them. Parents need to recognise that each child is individual, with its own strengths and weaknesses. It is about encouraging them to achieve what they can achieve. He recommends each child should have a role. If the older child gets to choose an outing, then another should choose the meal out and another should choose something else. Some parents do this naturally. Others need to make the effort. Prof Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at Hertfordshire University, is much more sceptical about the effect of birth order than his colleagues. I would say there is something in it, but there are also many other factors at play, for instance a childs attractiveness, he says. The bottom line is that the relevance of birth order is a very inexact science. Gill Marshall, 43, a mother of three says, I was the eldest and, while my parents were wonderfully supportive, I felt more was expected of me. If I got an A-minus, I was told Id done really well but could have done better. My younger sister, who was generally a B-plus, was told she had done fabulously. Mrs Marshall has twin boys of nine, Eddie and George, and a six-year-old daughter, Phoebe. Interestingly, Eddie should have been born first, because of his position in the birth canal. But when Mrs Marshall needed an emergency Caesarean, George arrived five minutes ahead of Eddie. Yet, astonishingly, the twins divide strictly along who should have been born first lines. Eddie displays all the characteristics of a first-born, while George behaves as a second-born. Eddie is academic and more mature, but lacks self-esteem. By contrast, George struggles at school, but has a well-developed imagination and is more creative. Eddie obeys every rule at school, while George believes they exist to be broken. Similarly, while Eddie wants to read what his class list suggests, George is happier with magazines filled with pictures. And that difference is marked in how they play. If I take them to the woods, George will say: Lets play Robin Hood. Eddie will want to do something much more conventional like run a race. Phoebe has benefitted from having such vastly different siblings. With George, she will play make-believe. With Eddie, she is happy to bowl a ball to him. And the mother admits her expectations of her youngest are lower. I definitely do say: You do what you want, love, more often to Phoebe.

First born: IQ is ........................ higher than middle child

Middle: IQ is ........................ higher than youngest child.

Last born: IQ is lower than older siblings. Often ........................ and lighter than their siblings.

First born: Often have more ........................ careers

Eddie ...(1 Point)

Match the child with the correct description.

has a more attractive personality

receives more praise from parents

has more original and unusual ideas

does not like to go against norms

is far more ambitious and ruthless

receives less pressure from parents

12

George ...(1 Point)

Match the child with the correct description.

has a more attractive personality

receives more praise from parents

has more original and unusual ideas

does not like to go against norms

is far more ambitious and ruthless

receives less pressure from parents

13

Phoebe ...(1 Point)

Match the child with the correct description.

has a more attractive personality

receives more praise from parents

has more original and unusual ideas

does not like to go against norms

is far more ambitious and ruthless

receives less pressure from parents