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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

How Prosocial Modeling Promotes Children's Sharing: A Goal Contagion Account.

Qiao Chai^1,2, Xuan Wu¹, Jiaqian Yu^1,3

¹Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Developmental Science

|April 10, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Observing prosocial behavior, like social mindfulness, encourages children to share more, demonstrating transferable learning. This effect is stronger in older children, suggesting goal contagion influences prosocial development.

Keywords:

goal contagion prosocial modeling sharing behavior social learning young children

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Last Updated: May 15, 2025

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Published on: April 6, 2018

Area of Science:

Child Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology

Background:

Prosocial modeling significantly impacts children's sharing behavior.
The underlying mechanisms of prosocial modeling are not fully understood.
Goal contagion theory proposes that observing prosocial goals can inspire similar behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if observing social mindfulness influences children's sharing behavior.
To test the transferability of prosocial learning across different prosocial actions.
To explore the role of goal contagion in prosocial development.

Main Methods:

128 Chinese children aged 4 and 6 years participated.
Children observed peers engaging in social mindfulness, random, or preference-based choices.
Subsequent sharing behavior was measured to assess prosocial tendencies.

Main Results:

Children who observed social mindfulness shared significantly more than control groups.
The positive effect of prosocial modeling on sharing was more pronounced in 6-year-olds.
Findings suggest prosocial learning is transferable and influenced by goal contagion.

Conclusions:

Observing prosocial behavior generalizes to other prosocial actions, like sharing.
Goal contagion may be a foundational mechanism for prosocial learning in children.
Prosocial modeling exerts a flexible influence on children's developing prosocial tendencies.