Birth Order and Preference for Dangerous Sports among Males

Abstract

Abstract It was the purpose of this study to investigate the concept of birth order and its relationship to preference for 3 conditions of dangerous sports. First-born (N = 67) and later-born male college students were compared, using discriminant analysis, on their preference for participation in such sports as judo, football, lacrosse, sky diving, ski jumping, and motorcycle racing. The results indicated that in general, first borns were more likely to avoid dangerous sports than later borns. The greatest discrimination was found in those sports in which the severity of physical injury is perceived to be high and the opportunity to attain a measure of security and peer support under stress, low.