ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG FIRST-BORN STUDENTS

An early finding (2) that firstborns are over-represented among college students has been supported by numerous recent investigations (1,4-7). But reviews of the literature (1,3,7, 8) show that the variables generating the phenomenon remain to be delineated. The present paper is concerned with the questions: Assuming that over-representation of firstborns among college students can be verified, and assuming further that this reflects a greater interest in study, are firstborns beyond larger college representation (a) overrepresented among those who attend class more regularly; (b) overrepresented among the excellent students; (c) under-represented among the failing students?