Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 14, 2025
07:15
Author Spotlight: Understanding Adolescent Social Adversity Effects on Neurodevelopment in Mice
Published on: March 15, 2024
1.7K
A Longitudinal Study of Multidimensional Prosocial Behavior During Adolescence.
Sophie W Sweijen1, Lysanne W Te Brinke1, Suzanne van de Groep1
1Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Child Development
|July 25, 2025
Summary
Adolescent prosocial behavior increases toward friends and in charitable giving, influenced more by puberty than age. Public prosocial actions decline with age, showing behavior is context-dependent.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Adolescent Behavior Studies
Background:
- Adolescence is a critical period for the development of social behaviors.
- Understanding the trajectories of prosocial and rebellious behaviors is crucial for adolescent development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the distinct developmental trajectories of prosocial and rebellious behaviors in adolescents.
- To investigate the influence of age, puberty, and hormones on these behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with three waves (2018-2022) of 142 adolescents aged 9-22 years.
- Assessed prosocial actions toward friends/peers, general prosocial tendencies, charitable giving, and social value orientation.
- Analyzed age-, puberty-, and hormonal-related trajectories.
Main Results:
- Prosocial behaviors toward friends/peers and charitable giving increased, more strongly linked to pubertal maturation than chronological age.
- Public prosocial behavior decreased with age.
- Confirmed multidimensionality of prosocial behavior, its correlation with rebelliousness, and context-dependency.
Conclusions:
- Prosocial behavior development in adolescence is multifaceted and influenced by biological maturation.
- The findings highlight the importance of considering pubertal status in understanding adolescent social behavior.
- Context plays a significant role in shaping prosocial behavior during adolescence.
Related Concept Videos
02:20Longitudinal Research
12.5K
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
12.5K
01:18Cognitive Development During Adolescence
136
During adolescence, individuals experience significant cognitive development that enhances their understanding of others' emotions and thoughts, known as cognitive empathy. This period is marked by an increased ability to adapt to others' perspectives and a more nuanced understanding of others' mental states, a skill that is foundational for social problem-solving and conflict avoidance. The development of cognitive empathy relies heavily on the theory of mind — the...
136
01:17Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
368
Erik Erikson's fifth stage of psychosocial development, "identity versus role confusion," is crucial during adolescence (ages 12 to 18). In this stage, adolescents face the developmental task of forging a distinct personal identity, a process influenced by social, psychological, and biological changes typical of this period. Adolescents naturally explore different roles, behaviors, and ideologies as they navigate complex questions of self-concept, asking, "Who am I?" and "What is my place in...
368
01:26Longitudinal Studies
248
Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
248
03:00Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
5.3K
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...
5.3K
02:04Bullying
8.5K
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is...
8.5K