The emergence of an appreciation for help during childhood and adolescence

This study investigated developmental changes in the perceived usefulness of help from the perspective of the person receiving the help. Boys and girls in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 responded to a questionnaire which presented seven hypothetical problem situations; each situation was paired with seven different helpers, which resulted in a total of 49 helper-situation combinations. Children responded on a Likert-type scale as to whether it would be useful to receive help with a particular problem from the specified helper. There was support for the hypothesis of a developmental increase in the perceived usefulness of help across the school-age years (middle childhood and adolescence). Other major findings showed that girls consistently perceived help as being more useful than did boys, and girls were generally rated as the most effective helpers.