Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 22, 2025

Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
14:05

Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses

Published on: January 23, 2017

29.5K

Helping and Cooperation at 14 Months of Age

Felix Warneken1, Michael Tomasello1

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig, Germany.

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
|January 8, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Fourteen-month-old infants show early altruistic helping behaviors and nascent cooperation. However, complex goals and coordinated actions with partners remain challenging for infants at this age.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Infant Behavior
  • Social Cognition

Background:

  • Understanding the origins of cooperation is crucial for developmental psychology.
  • Early infant social behaviors provide insights into the development of complex social interactions.
  • Limited research exists on the cooperative abilities of 14-month-old infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the capacity for altruistic helping in 14-month-old infants.
  • To examine infant cooperation towards shared goals.
  • To model the development of cooperative activities during the second year of life.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted with 14-month-old infants.
  • Infants' responses to scenarios requiring helping and cooperation were observed.
  • Infant interactions with a programmed adult partner during joint activities were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Infants demonstrated altruistic helping by providing objects for an adult's goal.
  • Helping was less reliable with more complex goals.
  • Infants showed rudimentary attempts to reengage a partner in interrupted joint activities.
  • Coordinative skills with a social partner were less developed compared to older infants (18- and 24-month-olds).

Conclusions:

  • 14-month-old infants possess foundational skills for altruistic helping and cooperation.
  • The development of coordinated social interaction progresses significantly beyond 14 months.
  • These findings contribute to a developmental model of cooperative activities in early childhood.

More Related Videos

A Familiarization Protocol Facilitates the Participation of Children with ASD in Electrophysiological Research08:42

A Familiarization Protocol Facilitates the Participation of Children with ASD in Electrophysiological Research

Published on: July 31, 2017

8.5K
Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE06:57

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE

Published on: May 14, 2019

10.7K

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
248
Empathy02:34

Empathy

Some researchers suggest that altruism operates on empathy. Empathy is the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what he or she feels. An empathetic person makes an emotional connection with others and feels compelled to help (Batson, 1991). Empathy can be expressed in several ways, including cognitive, affective, and motor. 
9.9K
Persuasion Strategies01:52

Persuasion Strategies

Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
42.2K
Modeling in Therapy01:26

Modeling in Therapy

Modeling, a key technique in therapy, uses observational learning to help clients acquire and practice new skills by watching therapists demonstrate desired behaviors. This approach, rooted in Albert Bandura's concept of vicarious learning, plays a significant role in therapeutic interventions for various psychological conditions, including social anxiety, ADHD, and depression.
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...
249
Parental Care00:55

Parental Care

Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
12.2K
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings01:29

Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings

Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or...
88