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Vogelsang M, Schäfer A, Ehrenreich A, Ebersbach M. Friendship status and recipient's emotions both affect children's sharing behavior. J Exp Child Psychol 2025; 256:106256. [PMID: 40245552 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2025.106256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2025] [Accepted: 03/16/2025] [Indexed: 04/19/2025]
Abstract
Studies on the development of sharing resources as one aspect of prosocial behavior have revealed that single recipient characteristics affect preschoolers' sharing decisions. In the current study, we investigated (a) whether preschoolers also take multiple recipient characteristics simultaneously into account and (b) whether preschoolers' general prosocial behavior affects their sharing decisions. A 2 (Friendship Status: friend vs. non-friend) × 2 (Emotional State of the Recipient: sad vs. happy) within-participants design was used. In the context of a dictator game, German preschoolers (N = 82; age range = 4.5-7.0 years) were provided with 6 stickers per trial that they could share with another fictitious child. The other child was introduced as either a friend or a non-friend who was either sad or happy. The number of shared stickers served as the dependent variable. In addition, preschoolers' general prosocial behavior was assessed, also including comforting and helping. Results showed that preschoolers shared more stickers with friends than with non-friends and shared more with sad recipients than with happy recipients. There was no significant interaction between these factors. Furthermore, preschoolers' general prosocial behavior did not predict their sharing decisions. This study suggests that preschoolers take multiple recipient characteristics simultaneously into account when sharing resources and that sharing resources might differ from other aspects of prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Vogelsang
- Developmental Psychology Group, Department of Psychology, University of Kassel 34127 Kassel, Germany.
| | - Annika Schäfer
- Developmental Psychology Group, Department of Psychology, University of Kassel 34127 Kassel, Germany
| | - Alina Ehrenreich
- Developmental Psychology Group, Department of Psychology, University of Kassel 34127 Kassel, Germany
| | - Mirjam Ebersbach
- Developmental Psychology Group, Department of Psychology, University of Kassel 34127 Kassel, Germany
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Prada-Mateus M, Obando D, Sandoval-Reyes J, Mejía-Lozano MA, Hill J. The Role of Parental Involvement in the Development of Prosocial Behavior in Young Children: An Evolutionary Model Among Colombian Families. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2024:10.1007/s10578-024-01762-7. [PMID: 39470837 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-024-01762-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/11/2024] [Indexed: 11/01/2024]
Abstract
Prosocial behavior is a relevant indicator of children's socio-emotional development linked to decreased conduct and emotional problems. The present study aimed to identify cross-sectional direct effects of parental involvement on prosocial behavior in three-time assessments at ages 3, 5, and 7 years, to identify carryover effects of the study constructs, and to identify the evolution of these effects over time. A sample of 235 Colombian families participated at t0, 220 at t1, and 145 at t2 by completing self-reported questionnaires for prosocial behavior using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire for parental involvement. Using PLS-SEM path modeling, we found that the contribution of parental involvement to prosocial behavior was significant in the three assessments. Carryover analyses indicated that initial levels of parental involvement and initial levels of prosocial behavior predict later levels. Using multigroup analysis, we tested significant changes in the path coefficients of direct effects, finding nonsignificant results. For carryover effects, we found changes in parental involvement between t0/t1 and t1/t2. Finally, t-test analyses were used to identify changes in the construct's means over time, finding significant changes between parental involvement at t1 and t2. No mean differences were found for prosocial behavior. Results from this study highlight the relevance of parental involvement during childhood for maintaining children's levels of prosocial behavior and reducing the risk of socio-emotional problems. Preventive approaches for these problems should include parents' training on parental involvement from age 3.5 years or earlier.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Prada-Mateus
- Depertment of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte de Bogotá. Chía, Campus del Puente del Común, Km. 7, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - D Obando
- Depertment of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte de Bogotá. Chía, Campus del Puente del Común, Km. 7, Cundinamarca, Colombia.
| | - J Sandoval-Reyes
- Depertment of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte de Bogotá. Chía, Campus del Puente del Común, Km. 7, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - M A Mejía-Lozano
- Depertment of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte de Bogotá. Chía, Campus del Puente del Común, Km. 7, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - J Hill
- Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
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Dahl RE, Armstrong-Carter E, van den Bos W. Wanting to matter and learning to care: A neurodevelopmental window of opportunity for (Pro) social learning? Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 69:101430. [PMID: 39151254 PMCID: PMC11377138 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Wanting to matter-to feel socially recognized, appreciated, and capable of actions that benefit others-represents a fundamental motivation in human development. The motivational salience of mattering appears to increase in adolescence. Evidence suggests this is related to pubertal increases in the incentive salience for gaining social value and personal agency. This can provide a useful heuristic for understanding motivational proclivities (i.e. wanting to matter) that influence action-outcome learning as young adolescents are exploring and learning how to navigate increasingly complex social and relational environments. Adolescence also brings new capacities, motives, and opportunities for learning to care about and contribute to the benefit of others. Together, these create a window of opportunity: a sensitive period for learning to gain salient feelings of mattering through caring prosocial actions and valued societal contributions. Successfully discovering ways of mattering by doing things that matter to others may contribute to formative socio-emotional learning about self/other. Advances in understanding these social and relational learning processes and their neurodevelopmental underpinnings can inform strategies to improve developmental trajectories of social competence and wellbeing among adolescents growing up in a rapidly changing and increasingly techno-centric world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald E Dahl
- School of Public Health, Institute of Human Development, University of California, Berkeley, United States.
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Yamamoto E, Hirokawa M, Nunez E, Hakuno Y, Sekine K, Miyahara S, Suzuki K, Minagawa Y. Neural and Physiological Correlates of Prosocial Behavior: Temporoparietal Junction Activity in 3-year-old Children. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:1977-1994. [PMID: 38820551 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Although the development of prosocial behavior has been widely studied from the behavioral aspect, the neural mechanisms underlying prosocial behavior in the early stages of development remain unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the neural mechanisms underlying the emergence of prosocial behavior in 3-year-old children. Brain activity in the medial pFC and right TPJ (rTPJ) and facial expression activity, which are related to the ability to infer others' mental states (mentalizing), during the observation of prosocial and antisocial scenes were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy and electromyography, respectively. Subsequently, the children's helping and comforting behaviors toward an experimenter were assessed to examine prosocial behavioral tendencies. A correlation analysis revealed that the children who showed stronger activity levels in the rTPJ while observing prosocial scenes had more immediate helping behaviors toward others than those who did not show stronger response levels. Moreover, the amount of facial expression activity correlated with prosocial behavior, including both helping and comforting behaviors. These results suggest that the development of mentalizing ability and the social evaluation of others' actions, mediated by the rTPJ, contribute to the emergence of prosocial behavior.
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Paz Y, All K, Kohli S, Plate RC, Viding E, Waller R. Why Should I? Examining How Childhood Callous-Unemotional Traits Relate to Prosocial and Affiliative Behaviors and Motivations. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2024; 52:1075-1087. [PMID: 38498231 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-024-01170-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Childhood callous-unemotional (CU) traits are characterized by low empathy, limited prosocial behavior, and restricted social affiliation. However, few studies have investigated whether CU traits are associated with different subtypes of prosocial and affiliative behavior or the specific motivational difficulties underlying these behaviors. We addressed these questions using data from 135 young children (M = 5.48 years old; 58% female) who viewed depictions of adults or children in instrumental need, emotional need, or neutral situations. We assessed recognition, suggested initiation of, and motivation for prosocial or affiliative behavior in response to each depiction. We distinguished between subtypes of prosocial (instrumental and emotional) and affiliative (parallel, cooperative, associative) behavior, as well as self- versus other-orientated motivations. Parents reported on child CU traits and conduct problems. Overall, children accurately recognized prosocial and neutral situations, offered help, and expressed other-orientated motivations for prosocial behavior and social motivations for affiliative behavior. Higher CU traits were related to lower overall recognition accuracy, which was more pronounced for emotional need. Higher CU traits were also related to fewer offers of help and more denial of prosocial behavior, particularly for instrumental need. Finally, CU traits were related to lower probability of initiating affiliative behavior. CU traits were not differentially related to self- versus other-orientated motivations for prosocial or affiliative behavior. Findings demonstrate difficulties of children with CU traits in recognizing need and offering help. Interventions for CU traits could include modules that explicitly scaffold and shape prosociality and social affiliation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Paz
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, US
| | - K All
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, US
| | - S Kohli
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, US
| | - R C Plate
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, US
| | - E Viding
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - R Waller
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave Stephen A. Levin Building, 425 S University Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, US.
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