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The development of recipient-dependent sharing behavior and sharing expectations in preschool children

Markus Paulus1, Chris Moore2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität München.

Developmental Psychology
|August 28, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Preschool children develop sharing expectations and behaviors around age 4. By age 5, their own sharing and expectations align, showing a clear understanding of social sharing dynamics.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social Cognition
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Understanding the development of prosocial behaviors like sharing is crucial for social competence.
  • Previous research has explored children's sharing, but the interplay between expectations and behavior, especially considering recipient and cost factors, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the developmental trajectory of sharing expectations and actual sharing behavior in 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children.
  • To examine if children's sharing expectations differ based on the recipient (friend vs. disliked peer) and the presence of a cost.
  • To assess children's own sharing behavior in relation to these factors and their expectations.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving three age groups of preschool children (3, 4, and 5 years old).
  • Assessment of children's expectations regarding sharing behavior towards different recipients (friend vs. disliked peer) under conditions with and without cost.
  • Observation and measurement of children's own sharing behavior in identical scenarios.

Main Results:

  • Sharing expectations and actual sharing behaviors exhibit parallel developmental patterns.
  • Recipient-dependent sharing and the formation of sharing expectations emerge around the age of 4 years.
  • By 5 years of age, children's personal sharing actions and their anticipations of others' sharing become highly correlated.

Conclusions:

  • Preschoolers' understanding and enactment of sharing evolve significantly between ages 3 and 5.
  • The ability to adjust sharing based on social relationships and costs develops in early childhood.
  • Individual differences in children's sharing behavior are linked to their developing social expectations.

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