CFS100 - NS Ch.6

The Sibling Effect

What is the myth described?

• “being an only child leads to negative outcomes (ex: poor social skills or mental health issues

Study on social skills of only children in China:

• Mixed results:

  • Some reports showed only children had better social skills in middle school, while others found the opposite in high school

Academic performance of only children:

• Onlies often perform a bit better in school compared to children w/ siblings

Kramer's research on sibling conflict:

• Videotaped sibling interactions in homes

  • Found that conflict is normal

  • Sibling relationships are stable over time

  • Siblings ages 3-7 clash 3.5 times per hour (10 mins of every hour spent arguing)

Kramer’s "More Fun with Sisters & Brothers" Program

• 6 sessions where children engage in fun activities (ex: board games & role-playing)

• Goal is to teach siblings how to enjoy playing together & improve their relationships

• Less parental involvement, children manage conflict themselves

Punch’s study on sibling relationships:

• Interviewed 90 children

• Found that children feel less pressure (or don’t have an incentive) to be polite & cooperative w/ siblings because they know they will “be there tomorrow no matter what”

Kramer & Gottman’s study on best friend relationships influencing sibling dynamics:

• Studied kids from families expecting another child

• The quality of an older child's relationship w/ their best friend predicts the quality of their relationship w/ younger siblings

  • “Older siblings train on their friends, & then apply what they know to their little siblings”

Importance of Shared Fantasy Play

• Children must cooperate, articulate ideas, & negotiate during fantasy play

  • Builds skills that transfer to sibling relationships

  • Crucial for developing positive sibling dynamics

Kramer’s study on children’s books depicting sibling relationships:

• Control group of children reading & discussing sibling story books for 6 weeks

  • Sibling relationship quality worsened

  • Led children to learn new ways to be mean to their siblings

• Analyzed 261 children’s books depicting sibling relationships

  • Many books portrayed negative sibling behaviors (ex: taunting, excluding)

    • average book showed just as many negative behaviors as positive ones

British & American Scholars study on sibling causes of conflict:

• Asked 108 sibling pairs in Colorado what they fought about

  • Most conflicts were about sharing physical possessions (ex: toys), not competition for parental affection

Recommendations

• Teach siblings how to enjoy playing together & enjoy one another’s presence (create a real friendship)

• Teach children how to:

  • initiate play

  • solve conflicts on their own

  • find activities they both like

  • how to gently decline when they’re not interested