The author responds to criticism by R. B. Zajonc on a review of the extant literature on the intellectual consequences of sibship size and birth order. (Author/LMO)

Literature on the relationship between sibling structure and academic abilities and achievement since 1978 is reviewed. As the findings generally refute the confluence model of the influence of sibling structure, alternative interpretations are presented with implications for further research. (Author/BS)

Analysis of data from the parent and student sections of High School and Beyond surveys revealed that close spacing of siblings had a strong negative effect on parents' anticipated and actual contributions to a child's living and schooling expenses during the first year after high school graduation. This negative effect was unrelated to…

Birth-order is unrelated to verbal and nonverbal IQ performance of either Black or White children; family size is inversely related to the verbal IQ performance of both groups but not to their nonverbal performance; and the inverse impact of family size on verbal ability does not differ significantly by race. (Author/RM)

Using data from the High School and Beyond survey for 10,188 sophomores and 8,491 seniors, investigates the effect of spacing of births of siblings on high school attrition and postsecondary school attendance. Close spacing increases likelihood of dropping out of high school and decreases odds of attending postsecondary school. (SLD)