The effect of siblings on language development as a function of age difference and sex

Abstract

The number of older siblings a child has is negatively correlated with their verbal skills, perhaps due to competition for parents’ attention. The current study examined the role of siblings’ sex and age gap as moderating factors, reasoning that they affect older siblings’ tendency to compensate for reduced parental attention. We hypothesized that children with an older sister, especially with a large age gap, have better language abilities than those with older brothers. We reanalyzed data from the EDEN cohort (N = 1,154) and found that children with an older sister had better language skills than those with an older brother. Contrary to predictions, the age gap between siblings was not associated with language skills, and did not interact with sex. Results suggest the negative effect of older siblings on language development may be entirely due to older brothers, and invite further research on the mechanisms involved in this effect.

Training Program Supporting Language Acquisition

“…Upon investigating language development and vocabulary, Jones and Plass (2002) have revealed that language development observed in children without siblings is more advantageous compared to the children with many siblings [17]. Havron, Ramus, Heude, Forhan, Cristia, and Peyre (2019) conducted a study on 1154 children and examined the effect of older siblings' age differences and gender on children's language development, and they found out that children with large age differences with their older sisters had better language skills than children with older brothers [26]. They have determined that children who have older sisters at home have better language skills than the children with older brothers.…”

“…While children acquire language, their first models are their parents, other family members, and then other individuals with whom they interact in the social and school environment. With an effective educational program to be implemented in the pre-school period, when basic concepts begin to emerge, the acquisition and reinforcement of the expected skills will make remarkable contributions to the child's following educational life [26].…”