Birth Order, Sex, And The Rod-And-Frame Test

Various studies of the relationship of dependency to birth order have yielded inconsistent results. In this study the concept of dependency focused upon was field dependency as measured by the rod-and-frame test (RFT). Data on sex, birth order, and RFT scores were collected for 637 psychiatric inpatients. An analysis of variance revealed that (a) males were less dependent than females (p<.001), and (b) first-borns were less dependent than later-borns or only-children (p<.025). Theoretical implications were discussed.