WK6 Siblings, and Friends

• What is the focus of the study material?

  Children's relationships with siblings
• What are the main topics covered in sibling relationships?

  • Siblings and attachment
  • Arrival of a new sibling
  • Sibling as attachment figures
  • Sibling conflict
  • Siblings and parents
  • Stability and consequences
• What does Bowlby’s attachment theory emphasize?

  Motivational system for attachment to caregiver
• How does attachment theory ensure infant survival?

  Attachment figure as secure base for exploration
• Which fields influenced Bowlby’s attachment theory?

  Comparative psychology, ethology, cognitive psychology
• What are Ainsworth’s attachment categories based on?

  The Strange Situation

  
• What are the consequences of secure attachment in infants?

  Socially skilled, empathic, and self-directed children
• What are the consequences of insecure attachment in infants?

  More depression and social withdrawal
• How is the parent-child relationship characterized?

  Vertical and complementary
• What do siblings provide in a child's life?

  Companionship and learning opportunities
• What behavioral changes may occur with the arrival of a new sibling?

  Increased bedwetting and sleep problems
• What factors influence a child's initial behavior towards a new sibling?

  Quality of parent-child relationship and temperament
• How are sibling relationships associated with attachment security?

  Secure mother-child relationship leads to friendly sibling relationship
• What challenge does the sibling relationship pose to Bowlby’s idea of monotropism?

  Siblings can also act as attachment figures
• How do sibling relationships act as buffers against stress?

  They provide support during stressful life events
• What qualitative evidence supports emotional links between infants and older siblings?

  Infants show distress when siblings are absent
• What did Stewart (1983) study about sibling interactions?

  Infants comforted by older siblings in distress
• What is a common concern parents have regarding sibling relationships?

  Sibling conflict and rivalry
• How does sibling conflict differ from parent-child conflict?

  Sibling conflict includes both rivalry and cooperation
• What are the four dimensions of sibling relationships identified by Furman & Buhrmester (1985)?


  Rivalry, conflict, status/power, warmth/closeness
• What correlates with sibling rivalry?

  Perception of unequal parental behaviors
• How do children perceive differences in parental treatment?

  They pick up on perceived differential attention
• What does attachment theory predict about parent-child and sibling relationships?

  Warm parent-child relationship leads to warm sibling relationship
• What alternative theory exists regarding sibling relationships?

  Compensatory sibling relationships
• What did Dunn (1993) find about mother-child and sibling relationships?

  Warm mother-child relationship can lead to hostile sibling relationship
• What did Dunn et al. (1999) discover about parent-child negativity?

  Lower parent-child negativity leads to higher sibling positivity
• What common features characterize parent-child relationships?

  Self-disclosure, shared humor, connectedness
• How do siblings engage in self-disclosure?

  They talk about experiences and feelings frequently
• What did Brown & Dunn (1992) find about sibling conversations?

  Siblings talk about feelings more than parents do
• How does shared humor function in sibling relationships?

  Indicates warm emotions and understanding
• What is connectedness in sibling relationships?

  Degree of sustained communication during interactions
• How do siblings participate in shared fantasy play?

  Siblings act as full partners in pretend play
• What did Dunn, Slomkowski, & Beardsall (1994) find about pretend play?

  Seen in warm sibling relationships even at age 10-13
• What is the developmental course of sibling relationships?

  • Sibships become more equal with age
  • Adolescents show less intimacy and affection
  • Conflict with older siblings decreases
• What did Buhrmester & Furman (1990) find about sibling relationships in adolescence?

  Less companionship, intimacy, and affection
• What did Tucker et al. (2010) find about firstborns and second-borns?

  Firstborns are typically more dominant
• What did Dunn's longitudinal study reveal about sibling relationships?

  Shift in pattern as second-born becomes active
• What are the positive consequences of sibling relationships?

  Associated with psychosocial skills and friendships
• How do older siblings facilitate cognitive development?

  By providing scaffolding in theory of mind tests
• What negative consequences are linked to sibling conflict?

  Linked to antisocial behavior and decreased well-being