Caregiver simpatía predicts Latino children's prosocial behavior

Research is needed to better characterize the cultural values that nurture children's prosocial behavior. We focused on simpatía, a Latino cultural value that prioritizes warm, positive engagement with others. We examined the relation between caregivers' simpatía and Latino children's prosocial behavior toward a stranger.

A preregistered, experimental field study was conducted in Los Angeles County. The test site was strategically chosen to be in an area of the United States in which Latinos are a supermajority of the population (95%). Families were recruited in a public park; the participants were 100 caregivers and their 100 young Latina/o children. Caregivers reported the degree to which they personally endorsed simpatía, based on the validated Simpatía Scale. Independently, their children participated in an experiment using a standardized assessment of childhood prosocial behavior. Children's behavior was videorecorded and subsequently scored by independent coders who were kept blind to the caregiver simpatía scores and study hypotheses.

There was a significant positive association between caregivers' valuing of simpatía and children's prosocial behavior on the experimental test. Children whose caregivers scored in the top quartile on simpatía showed especially high prosocial behavior. These positive associations held when controlling for preregistered covariates (child age, gender, family economic insecurity, etc.).

These findings contribute to cultural and developmental theories about the roots of children's prosocial behavior and can inform future cross-cultural approaches to examine how children acquire simpatía and similar values both in Latino culture and in other cultural groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).