Neural and Physiological Correlates of Prosocial Behavior: Temporoparietal Junction Activity in 3-year-old Children

Area of Science:

• Developmental Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• Prosocial behavior development is well-studied behaviorally, but neural underpinnings in early development are unclear.
• Understanding the emergence of helping and comforting behaviors in young children requires investigating underlying brain mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural mechanisms of prosocial behavior emergence in 3-year-old children.
• To examine the relationship between brain activity, mentalizing ability, and prosocial behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Measured brain activity in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
• Assessed facial expression activity via electromyography (EMG) during observation of social scenes.
• Evaluated children's helping and comforting behaviors toward an experimenter.

Main Results:

• Stronger rTPJ activity during prosocial scene observation correlated with more immediate helping behaviors.
• Facial expression activity positively correlated with both helping and comforting behaviors.
• Children demonstrating enhanced mentalizing abilities showed increased prosocial tendencies.

Conclusions:

• The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) plays a crucial role in mediating the social evaluation of actions, contributing to prosocial behavior.
• Developing mentalizing abilities, supported by brain regions like the rTPJ, is essential for the emergence of prosociality in early childhood.
• Facial expressivity is a significant indicator of prosocial behavioral tendencies in young children.