A critical review. Evidence supporting the sibling-tutoring explanation is evaluated and alternatives are presented. Alternatives include age spacing as an explanation for the intelligence discontinuity of last borns, and the idea that only children are more likely to come from single-parent homes. (BB)

A brief review of the psychological literature on the characteristics of only children is presented in order to determine if the one-child family should be avoided or advocated. The relevant literature is found to be limited in quantity and conceptualization of the only child. Previous literature is divided into three types of study: those with…

The increase in one child families in the 1980's is analogous to the one child family rate during the Depression years. Although family size was limited for economic reasons during the Depression, current increases in the number of one child families are attributed to advances in contraceptive technology, increased employment of women, inhibiting…