The stereotype that only-children are more self-centered than others has gained little support from studies on personality traits but had not been previously tested with respect to personal values, which are also an important part of personality. Data from 3085 Australian adults revealed that only-children give more importance to power values and less importance to benevolence values than individuals with siblings. These differences, which are consistent with the stereotype, were strongest in young people but diminished gradually with age and disappeared in those over 62 years old. The results challenge the view that personality is largely unaffected by shared life-experiences associated with family structure, at least regarding the values aspect of personality.

独生子女比其他人更以自我为中心的刻板印象在人格特质研究中获得的支持很少，但以前尚未经过关于个人价值观的测试，这也是人格的重要组成部分。来自3085名澳大利亚成年人的数据显示，独生子女比同胞个人更重视权力价值，而对仁爱价值的重视程度较低。这些差异与刻板印象一致，在年轻人中最为明显，但随着年龄的增长逐渐减小，在62岁以上的人群中消失。结果挑战了这样的观点，即人格在很大程度上不受家庭结构相关的共同生活经历的影响，至少在人格的价值观方面。