Abstract:
The present study examined if having an older sibling was significantly related to stronger selfregulation
and achievement, in a sample of 74 preschool children participating in a selfregulation
intervention. It was hypothesized that children with an older sibling in the fall would
have higher self-regulation and achievement scores than children with no older siblings, and that
children with an older sibling in the intervention would improve more across the year in selfregulation
and achievement than children with an older sibling in the control group. Results
showed that having an older sibling significantly predicted higher vocabulary and math scores in
the fall of preschool. In addition, children with an older sibling in the intervention group had
significantly higher vocabulary scores than children with an older sibling in the control group in
the spring. Findings indicate that older siblings have an important influence on the early
development of vocabulary skills in preschool children.
