Toddlers' Self-Recognition and Progression From Goal- to Emotion-Based Helping: A Longitudinal Study
Jess Aitken1, Ted Ruffman1, Mele Taumoepeau1
1University of Otago.
Child Development
|August 21, 2019
Summary
This study reveals that instrumental helping develops before empathic helping in young children. Self-recognition emerges before empathic helping but doesn't directly impact helping behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Development
- Social Behavior
Background:
- Cross-sectional studies are common for understanding helping behavior development.
- Longitudinal research is needed to track the emergence of instrumental and empathic helping.
- The role of self-recognition in early helping behaviors requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally examine the developmental progression of instrumental and empathic helping behaviors.
- To determine if instrumental helping is a prerequisite for empathic helping.
- To assess the moderating influence of self-recognition on the development of helping behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design with 72 children aged 14–25 months at baseline.
- Four monthly assessment sessions to observe helping behaviors.
- Analysis of individual response patterns to identify developmental sequences.
Main Results:
- Instrumental helping emerged as a necessary precursor to empathic helping in 55.77%–67.92% of children studied.
- Self-recognition developed prior to empathic helping, but not instrumental helping.
- Self-recognition did not demonstrate a direct moderating effect on helping behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Helping behavior development is sequential, with instrumental actions preceding empathic responses.
- Self-recognition is a developmental milestone that occurs before empathic helping but does not directly drive it.
- Future research should explore other factors influencing the transition from instrumental to empathic helping.
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