Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026
07:36
An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
Commitments to help by children: effects on subsequent prosocial self-attributions
R B Cialdini1, N Eisenberg, R Shell
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe 85287.
The British Journal of Social Psychology
|September 1, 1987
Summary
Children readily sacrifice recess for altruism. Private commitments boost self-perceived altruism, especially in girls, while public commitments do not influence self-attributions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Understanding the development of altruism in children is crucial for social development.
- Investigating factors influencing prosocial behavior and self-perception is key.
- Previous research highlights the role of commitment and social context in shaping behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how public versus private commitments affect children's altruistic self-attributions.
- To determine if children's willingness to uphold commitments is influenced by the visibility of the commitment.
- To explore gender differences in the development of altruistic self-perceptions.
Main Methods:
- Children made commitments to help hospitalized peers through sorting papers.
- Commitments were made under either public or private conditions.
- Willingness to sacrifice recess time and altruistic self-attributions were measured post-commitment.
Main Results:
- Virtually all children honored their commitment, sacrificing recess time.
- Private commitments led to increased altruistic self-attributions, unlike public commitments.
- This effect was observed earlier in girls than boys and persisted for at least one month.
Conclusions:
- Children can differentiate the self-implications of public versus private commitments.
- Private commitments are more effective in fostering genuine altruistic self-perceptions in children.
- Early intervention focusing on private commitments may enhance altruistic development in children.
Related Concept Videos
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...
01:14Fundamental Attribution Error
According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is called the fundamental attribution...
01:55Egoism and Altruism
Voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people is called prosocial behavior. Why do people help other people? Is personal benefit such as feeling good about oneself the only reason people help one another?
01:20Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
According to George Herbert Mead, as children progress beyond the game stage, they develop a more comprehensive understanding of societal rules and norms. This cognitive and social development enables them to internalize the expectations of the broader community, refining their ability to regulate behavior.Consistent participation in organized activities is crucial in helping children recognize that their actions are not isolated but contribute to a more significant, interconnected group effort.
01:15Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory
Correspondent inference theory, proposed by Jones and Davis in 1965, seeks to explain how individuals infer stable personality traits from observed behaviors. It suggests that people attribute actions to underlying dispositions rather than external circumstances, particularly when the behavior appears intentional and socially significant.Voluntary Behavior and Dispositional AttributionAccording to this theory, individuals are more likely to attribute behavior to personal traits when it appears...