Abstract: | Summary One hundred twenty-eight fifth- and sixth-grade girls were randomly assigned to eight experimental groups according to birth order, social class, and level of achievement arousal. In a simulated-group social-influence situation, half of the girls performed a metronome counting task under low achievement arousal and half under high achievement arousal. Significant differences in mean independent judgment were found only among the middle-class groups, with firstborns making fewer independent judgments than later borns under low achievement arousal and more under high achievement arousal. Birth order does not appear to have the same impact on social behavior in different social classes. |