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Positive emotions and inhibitory control enhance prosocial sharing behavior in children under unequal resource

Qingfeng Peng1, Jie Zhang1, Gege Liu2

  • 1School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, China.

Neuroimage
|August 27, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Prosocial sharing in unequal contexts is crucial for children's moral and social development.
  • Neural mechanisms and the roles of emotion regulation and inhibitory control in children's sharing behavior are under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural mechanisms of prosocial sharing in children aged 6-9 under unequal resource conditions.
  • To explore the contributions of emotion regulation and cognitive control to children's sharing behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure prefrontal cortex oxyhemoglobin changes during sharing tasks.
  • Assessed children's sharing behavior, inhibitory control, and emotional regulation.

Main Results:

  • Sharing behavior increased with age and varied with resource status.
  • Stronger inhibitory control and positive emotions correlated with greater prosocial tendencies.
  • Differential activation and connectivity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were observed under unequal conditions, particularly in older children (8-9 years).
  • fNIRS data revealed correlations between prefrontal cortex activity and sharing behavior, modulated by resource conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Children's prosocial decision-making in unequal contexts is influenced by both cognitive control and emotional assessment.
  • Neuroimaging provides evidence for the neural underpinnings of prosocial behavior in childhood, highlighting the roles of specific prefrontal cortex regions.

Keywords:
Inhibitory controlPositive emotionsProsocial behaviorSharing behavior

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