When it comes to developing strong language skills it pays to have a big sister.
A team of French researchers found that the number of older siblings a child has is negatively correlated with their verbal skills. This is possibly due to the overall competition this dynamic creates in a family for parental attention. The study explored the role of siblings’ sex and age gaps as moderating factors, reasoning that these elements may impact upon the older siblings’ tendency to compensate for reduced parental attention. The hypothesis for the study was that children with an older sister have more developed language skills than those with an older brother, particularly when a large age gap occurred between siblings. Using data from the sizeable EDEN mother-child cohort (n = 1154), the team extracted and reanalysed data and found children with an older sister had better language skills than those with an older brother. Contrary to predictions, the findings suggest that an age gap between siblings was not associated with language skills and did not interact with sex. The negative effect of older siblings on the development of language may be entirely due to the role of older brothers. Limitations and the potential for future lines of inquiry are also explored.
doi:10.1177/0956797619861436
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