A Wernerian Developmental Analysis of Children's Descriptions of Siblings

Ontogenetic changes in interpersonal perceptions of older siblings were studied in children at grades K, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Data indicated an increase in the number of constructs with age, a shift from the use of egocentric to nonegocentric and concrete to abstract modes of description, and more constructs used in descriptions of liked versus disliked qualities of older siblings. Children closely spaced in age not only described the older sibling in more detail but also relied predominantly on lower-level constructs over the age period under investigation.