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Do young toddlers act on their social preferences?
Audun Dahl1, Rachel K Schuck, Joseph J Campos
1Institute of Human Development.
Developmental Psychology
|January 16, 2013
Summary
Toddlers
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Early Childhood Studies
Background:
- Humans typically prefer helping those who act prosocially.
- Previous research offered conflicting predictions on early toddler helping behaviors based on social observations.
- Understanding the origins of prosocial behavior is crucial in developmental studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether toddlers aged 16-27 months exhibit preferential helping based on observed social interactions.
- To determine if very young children can evaluate social actions and adjust their helping behavior accordingly.
Main Methods:
- 84 toddlers (16-27 months) observed one experimenter acting antisocially and another prosocially.
- Children were then given opportunities to help either the antisocial or prosocial experimenter.
- Toddlers' looking times at social interactions were recorded.
Main Results:
- Only the oldest toddlers showed a significant preference for helping the prosocial experimenter first.
- Most toddlers across all age groups were willing to help both experimenters with multiple opportunities.
- Longer observation of the antisocial interaction correlated with a higher likelihood of helping the prosocial agent.
Conclusions:
- Social evaluations influence toddlers' helping behavior, but this influence is age-dependent.
- Very young children may struggle to fully evaluate complex social interactions.
- This study sheds light on the early development of prosociality and social evaluation in toddlers.
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