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Effect of Family Configuration on Preadolescents’ Decision-Making Competence
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by Fan Yang - University of Iowa
Decision-making competence (DMC) is a construct above and
beyond general intelligence which depicts people’s competency in making
effective decisions (Parker & Fischhoff, 2005). The present study
investigated the relationship between DMC scores and the family
configuration of 10-year-old preadolescents (N = 97). The family
configuration factors of interest were birth order, family size, sibling spacing,
and sibling sex composition, which should relate to individual differences
in general intelligence, according to previous research. The final results
suggested that only family size (p = .02) and the sex of the closest sibling
(p = .04) were significant predictors of preadolescents’ decision-making
abilities. Although some findings contradict those in general intelligence
research, the key results align with the confluence model for intellectual
growth (Zajonc & Markus, 1975). Implications for the current work and
directions for future research were discussed to drive further progress on
this research topic.
Fall 2012 | Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research (Vol. 14, No. 1, p. 35), published by Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2012, Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.