Sibling Communication
December 12, 2012
Quantitative Research
Sibling Communication Did you know that about 80% of individuals that have siblings spend at least one third of their life with their sibling or siblings? (Myers, page 309) That is a significant amount of time to spend with someone. Our group wanted to research how siblings communicate and how gender or age can affect this communication. As researchers, we felt that this topic was important to study because so much of our lives are spent with another. We wanted to look at a number of different areas; first, we wanted to know if same sex sibling dyads communicated more than opposite gender siblings. We also wanted to know if siblings with at least one female in the relationship affect communication, if conflict is based on gender, and if age affects all of these types of communication. The purpose of our study is to examine exactly how different siblings communicate and how they handle conflict.
Literature Review Communication is a skill that starts development from the day a person is born. Our interactions with those around us, and how they interact help us to develop our own unique styles of communication. Children are easily influenced by the people in their live and often times their closest relationships have the biggest impact on their actions. That being said, one of the most prominent relationships a child may have is with a sibling. An older sibling may help a younger sibling learn how to speak, and interact with others the same age, which at the same time is helping an older sibling learn how to communicate their thoughts and feelings. The sibling relationship starts young, and usually last an entire lifetime. There are few other relationships that develop and grow for this amount of time. We have decided to explore this amazing relationship, and test exactly what makes these relationships similar or different from family to family. We are specifically going to look at the gender within sibling
Quantitative Research
Sibling Communication Did you know that about 80% of individuals that have siblings spend at least one third of their life with their sibling or siblings? (Myers, page 309) That is a significant amount of time to spend with someone. Our group wanted to research how siblings communicate and how gender or age can affect this communication. As researchers, we felt that this topic was important to study because so much of our lives are spent with another. We wanted to look at a number of different areas; first, we wanted to know if same sex sibling dyads communicated more than opposite gender siblings. We also wanted to know if siblings with at least one female in the relationship affect communication, if conflict is based on gender, and if age affects all of these types of communication. The purpose of our study is to examine exactly how different siblings communicate and how they handle conflict.
Literature Review Communication is a skill that starts development from the day a person is born. Our interactions with those around us, and how they interact help us to develop our own unique styles of communication. Children are easily influenced by the people in their live and often times their closest relationships have the biggest impact on their actions. That being said, one of the most prominent relationships a child may have is with a sibling. An older sibling may help a younger sibling learn how to speak, and interact with others the same age, which at the same time is helping an older sibling learn how to communicate their thoughts and feelings. The sibling relationship starts young, and usually last an entire lifetime. There are few other relationships that develop and grow for this amount of time. We have decided to explore this amazing relationship, and test exactly what makes these relationships similar or different from family to family. We are specifically going to look at the gender within sibling
References: Campione-Barr, N., & Smetana, J.G. (2010). “Who Said You Could Wear My Sweater?” Adolescent Siblings’ Conflicts and Associations with Relationship Quality. Child Development, 81(2), 464-471. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Fowler, C. (2009). Motives for Sibling Communication Across the Lifespan. Communication Quarterly, 57(1), 51-66. doi:10.1080/01463370802662499 Hacker. 2011. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hacker Myers, S. A. (1998). Sibling Communication Satisfaction as a Function of Interpersonal Solidarity, Individualized Trust, and Self-Disclosure. Communication Research Reports, 15(3), 309-317. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Myers, Scott A., and Ronda L. Knox. (1998) Percieved Sibling use of Functional Communication Skills. Communication Research Reports 15, n.p. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Rocca, K. A., Martin, M. M., & Dunleavy, K. (2010). Sibling’s motives for talking to each other. Journal of Psychology, 144(2) 205-219. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Spitze, G., & Trent, K. (2006). Gender Differences in Adult Sibling Relations in Two-Child Families. Journal Of Marriage & Family, 68(4), 977-992. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Widmer, E. D. (1997). Influence of Older Siblings on Initiation of Sexual Intercourse. Journal Of Marriage & Family, 59(4), 928-938. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.