Does the birth order affect the cognitive development of a child?
Frank Heiland ()
Applied Economics, 2009, vol. 41, issue 14, 1799-1818
Abstract:
This article investigates the link between position in the birth order and early scholastic ability. Using matched mother-child data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979 cohort, NLSY79), I find that being the first-born is beneficial even after controlling for (nonlinear) effects of family size and child characteristics. The verbal ability of first-borns is about one-tenth of a SD higher than for children in the middle of the birth order. There is no evidence that last-borns fare better than intermediate children. The first-born advantage is confirmed by estimates from within-family variation models and I argue that the findings are consistent with the resource dilution hypothesis.
Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:applec:v:41:y:2009:i:14:p:1799-1818
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DOI: 10.1080/00036840601083220
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