Parental Differential Treatment Of Siblings And Sibling Differences In Intelligence

Abstract

The current study examined whether IQ differences between older and younger siblings related to the differences in parent-child relations. The Sample consisted of 291 two-child families. Mean age of the fathers 45.53, SD= 5.25, range: 35–61; mothers 43.20, SD= 4.27, range: 33–54. Intrapair age differences between siblings were not more, than 6 years. The age of the older sibling was 11–23 (M= 18.03, SD= 2.29): of the younger sibling 7–18 (M= 14.50, SD= 2.40). Mothers and fathers of siblings were asked to complete the 60-item Questionnaire of Child-Parent relationship, which was designed to assess 10 descriptive scales and 5 factor scales. Intelligence of siblings was assessed in 83 families through normalized scores of Wechsler tests (WISC or WAIS–III). The general factor of parent-child relations (GFR) was assessed as the unrotated first principal factor in the item-based and scale-based factor analysis. GFR is defined by the factors of parent-child relations connected with satisfaction – dissatisfaction with the relationship, acceptance – rejection of the child, and the degree of emotional closeness and trust. A positive GFR score means that the parents are generally satisfied with their relationship with their child and consider it well-balanced and free of conflict. When plotting siblings’ verbal, performance, and general intelligence against GFR scores, no significant correlation was observed. Differential treatment by fathers and, to a lesser degree, by mothers, reveals a small significant correlation with the IQ differences between siblings.

Keywords: Child-parent relationsgeneral factor of child-parent relationspsychometric IQ

Introduction

Theoretical analysis of the sibling method, its potential, and resolution capability for studying the reasons for similarity and differences between siblings has only begun in the late 1980s, despite a century-old history of sibling research. This new focus on the sibling method stems from the recognition of the significance of non-shared environments for shaping the individual differences in a wide variety of psychological characteristics.

In the late 1980s, Plomin and Daniels (1987) summarized the psychogenic studies that had been conducted in the prior fifteen years and concluded that a significant amount of the non-genetic variability of psychological traits can be attributed to the individual non-shared environment. The assumption is that shared environmental factors such as the social and economic status, which undoubtedly display their influence when comparing children from different families, do not show influence (or show almost no influence) on the similarity between children in the same family. Subsequent studies have corroborated this conclusion (e.g. Jensen & McHale, 2017; Plomin et al., 2016).

From this point, psychogenic studies, while conducting a formal evaluation of the environmental components of phenotypic dispersion, also begin to qualitatively investigate the environment. Assuming that the non-genetic variability of psychological traits is generally attributable to the individual, not the common environment, Plomin et al. (1994) insisted on investigating this individual environment (Reiss et al., 1994). The goal of these studies was defined as the identification of the developmental conditions specific to each child. This research served as fertile ground for a wide range of experimental lines of research investigating the individual environment in developmental psychology. Of all such individual environmental conditions, the most crucial is the differential parental treatment (Dunn & McGuire, 1994).

Problem Statement

When investigating the correlation between intelligence and differential parental treatment, there is a certain disparity regarding the level of generality of the compared characteristics. The variability of the most general cognitive traits (cognitive abilities, verbal, performance and general intelligence) is compared to certain measures of the parent-child relations that are varied, but significantly more individualized manifestations of parental behavior.

When selecting measures whose variability is not reduced to overly specific aspects of family relationships, we propose drawing a parallel with the General Factor of Personality.

The General Factor of Personality is at the highest level of the hierarchic model of personality, similarly to the g factor being a cognitive characteristic of the highest order. Studies of the General Factor of Personality have been conducted using a number of questionnaires intended for personality diagnostics and used in exploratory factor analysis (as a rule, it is considered to be the first unrotated factor from principal components analysis) as well as confirmatory factor analysis.

The General Factor of Personality is associated with a general positive attitude and a constructive approach, as well as ease and efficiency in interpersonal relationships. The feeling of general well-being and satisfaction with life shows a correlation of 0.7 with GFP (Musek, 2007; Rushton & Irwing, 2011).

Empirically, GFP was identified in 2007 (Musek, 2007, 2017). However, significantly earlier (Rushton, 1985, 1990), the possibility of general factor was discussed in the context of evolutionary psychology. A common factor present in various personality traits can presumably be the result of reproductive strategies of romantic, spousal and parental relations, which, consequently, means that personality traits could be subject to natural selection in the course of evolutionary processes.

The idea of identifying the common factor uniting different personality traits while investigating the reasons for variability has found support in the investigation of deviations. In particular, clinical research has isolated the general psychopathology factor. The assumption is that an investigation of the relationship between the general psychopathology factor with the assumed sources of the pathology will explain the high degree of comorbidity, as well as locate the single sources (genetic, neurological) at the basis of various disorders (Carragher et al., 2016; Caspi et al., 2014; Hyland et al., 2018; Waldman et al., 2016).

Research Questions

We propose identifying the General Factor of the Parent-Child Relationship (GFR) by using the items and scales of the Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire. We also hypothesize that the general index of child-parent relations will have a higher resolution capability for an analysis of the interdependencies between intelligence and parent-child relations, than more particular indicators.

Purpose of the Study

The current study examined whether IQ differences between older and younger siblings related to the differences in parental attitudes to siblings and to parental differential treatment.

Research Methods

Findings

The study was conducted in two stages. First, the GFRs for the parents were obtained based on the responses to the Parent-Child Relationship Questionnaire. Then, the GFRs were compared to sibling IQ scores.

Conclusion

The General Factor of Parent-Child Relationship obtained in this study was used for investigating the correlation between differential parental treatment and differences in siblings’ intelligence. GFR is defined by those factors of parent-child relations that address satisfaction – dissatisfaction with the relationship, acceptance – rejection of the child, and the degree of emotional closeness and trust. A positive GFR value means that the parents are generally satisfied with their relationship with their child and view it as well-balanced and free of conflict.

GFR has shown virtually no correlation to the degree of intelligence in older and younger siblings; however, the differences in intelligence between the oldest and youngest child were shown to be correlated, to a certain degree, with differential treatment by the father and showed a tendency to be correlated with differential treatment by the mother.

Acknowledgments

The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project 19-013-00274 Spouse, child-parent and sibling relationships: An actor-partner interdependence model.

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