14.2 Prosocial Behavior

prosocial behavior

voluntary behavior intended to benefit another, such as helping, sharing with, and comforting others — rooted in the capacity to feel empathy and sympathy

empathy

an emotional response to another’s emotional state or condition that reflects the other person’s state or condition

sympathy

feeling of concern for another in response to the other’s emotional state or condition

age of empathy and sympathy development

children can feel empathy and sympathy by the second year of life

14 months

become emotionally distressed when they see other people who are upset and express verbal/nonverbal concern for adult who has been hurt

18-25 months

• toddler in lab studies sometimes share a personal object with an adult whom they have seen being harmed by another

• more likely to try to comfort someone who is upset then become upset themselves, indicating that they know who it is that is suffering

2-4 years

• some types of prosocial behaviours increase, while others decrease

• 3-4 years olds are much more likely than 2 year olds to provide assistance/verbal reassurance

perspective-taking

the ability to understand that others have different thoughts and feelings, which is necessary for expressing empathy and sympathy

cooperation

Working together with another child or adult to reach a goal that benefits them both, which can be driven by sympathy or a child’s sense of fairness

biological factors

• proposed humans a biologically predisposed to be prosocial

• people who help others are more likely then less helpful people to be assisted when they themselves are in need and, thus, are more likely to survive and reproduce

• pertain to the human species as a whole and do not explain individual differences in empathy, sympathy and prosocial behavior

genetics factors do contribute to individual differences in these characteristics

• twins’ reports of their own empathy and prosocial behavior are considerably more similar for identical then fraternal twins

• role of genetic factors in children’s prosocial concerns for others and in their prosocial behavior increases with age

• identifies specific genes that might contribute to individual differences in prosocial tendencies

how else might genetic factors affect empathy, sympathy and prosocial behaviour?

• differences in temperament — differences in ability to regulate emotions are related to their empathy and sympathy

• regulation is also related to children’s theory of minds and theory of mind predicts children’s prosocial behavior

• the effect of heredity on sympathy and prosocial behavior might involve individual differences in social cognition as well as temperament

socialization of prosocial behavior

the process by which parents and the environment teach children about prosocial values and behaviors

three ways parents socialize prosocial behavior

1. modeling and teaching prosocial behavior

2. arranging opportunities for children to engage in prosocial behavior

3. disciplining children and eliciting prosocial behavior from them

   • also communicate and reinforce cultural belief about the value of prosocial behavior

modeling behavior

children tend to imitate the helping and sharing behavior of others, especially adults with whom they have a positive relationship

what does modeling behaviour help explain

help explain the fact that parents and children tend to be similar in their levels of prosocial behavior, although heredity may also contribute to the similarly between parent and child in sympathy and helpfulness

opportunities for prosocial activities

providing opportunities to engage in helpful activities can increase their willingness to take on prosocial tasks at a later time and foster empathy and cooperation

discipline and parenting style

the way parents discipline their children can influence the development of empathy and prosocial behavior, particularly through reasoning and understanding moral values

constructive parenting

parenting style that is supportive and constructive, associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior in children

peer influences

relationships with peers that help children learn and practice moral principles that translate into prosocial behavior

developmental stages of prosocial behavior

prosocial behaviors increase from ages 2 to 4, with notable changes in how children respond to others' distress

interventions

• research does not follow firm conclusions about cause-and-effect relations

• some school interventions have been effective at promoting prosocial behavior in children, so environmental factors must contributes to its development

• the research underlying such interventions indicates that experience in helping and cooperating with others, exposure to prosocial values and behaviours, and adults’ use of reasoning in discipline contribute to the development of prosocial behavior