Collaboration fails to promote sharing behavior but both collaborative and parallel play boost friendship in young...

Prosocial behaviors like collaboration and sharing are key to early childhood development. This study examined how collaboration, sex, and friendship influence sharing and perceived friendship among 48 dyads (96 children) aged 4-6. Participants were recruited from primary schools and paired into same-sex or cross-sex dyads. They were randomly assigned to either a collaborative or parallel play condition involving a cheese board game. In the collaborative condition, children worked together on one board, whereas in the parallel condition, they played individually on separate boards. After the game, children faced unequal rewards hidden under cups-one child received three candies ("lucky"), the other one candy ("unlucky"). Children then had the opportunity to share their rewards during a one-minute period without adult supervision. Friendship levels were assessed using a visual scale before and after the game. Children shared rarely, and contrary to our predictions, sharing behavior was not affected by collaboration, sex, dyad composition, or friendship level. However, both collaborative and parallel play led to increases in friendship ratings, suggesting that engaging in a shared activity and spending time with a peer may be associated with more positive evaluations of the relationship. No differences emerged between collaborative and parallel play in terms of this increase. The study highlights that prosocial sharing is sensitive to task design and social context, especially perceptions of ownership, while collaborative and parallel play may foster emotional bonds rather than generosity. These findings emphasize the importance of social tasks and positive social experiences in promoting prosocial development in early childhood.