Child/Adolescent Development of Prosocial Behavior

The following is an excerpt from More about Generosity: An Addendum to the Generosity, Social Psychology and Philanthropy Literature Reviews, (University of Notre Dame, July 7, 2009). Barr, Jason J., and Ann Higgin-DAlessandro. 2007. Adolescent empathy and prosocial behavior in the multidimensional context of school culture. Journal of Genetic Psychology 168(3):231-250. The authors investigated whether students positive perceptions of their high schools culture were associated with higher levels of empathy and prosocial behavior. The authors collected information from 2 samples to ensure a wide range of school culture perceptions. As expected, empathy and prosocial behavior were correlated. As evidence of the validity of the measure of school culture, students in a small alternative school perceived their school culture as more positive than did students in the companion large, traditional high school. More positive perceptions of school culture were associated with higher levels of empathy but not with prosocial behavior. Results were moderated by gender but not by age. Male students with higher levels of emotional concern (one aspect of empathy) perceived peer relationships (one aspect of school culture) to be more positive than did those with lower levels of emotional concern. This study highlights the importance of using multidimensional constructs for school culture and empathy to understand the effects of schooling on youth. Barry, Carolyn McNamara, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, Stephanie J. Madsen, and Larry J. Nelson. 2008. The impact of maternal relationship quality on emerging adults prosocial tendencies: Indirect effects via regulation of prosocial values. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 37(5):581-591. Studies document that parents serve as childrens primary socialization agents, particularly for moral development and prosocial behavior; however, less is known regarding parental influences on prosocial outcomes during the transition to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to investigate how mother-child relationship quality was related to prosocial tendencies via emerging adults regulation of prosocial values. Participants included 228 undergraduate students (ranging from 18 to 25 years; 90% European American) and their mothers (ranging from 38 to 59 years) from four locations across the United States. Path analyses using structural equation modeling revealed that mother-child relationship quality was related to emerging adults regulation of prosocial values, which was, in turn, related to emerging adults prosocial tendencies. Specifically, emerging adults who reported higher levels of internal regulation of prosocial values were more likely to report prosocial tendencies that de-emphasized themselves, and were less likely to report prosocial tendencies for the approval of others. Hastings, Paul D., Kelly E. McShane, Richard Parker, and Farriola Ladha. 2007. Ready to make nice: parental socialization of young sons and daughters prosocial behaviors with peers. Journal of Genetic Psychology 168(2):177-200. In this study, the authors examined the extent to which maternal and paternal parenting styles, cognitions, and behaviors were associated with young girls and boys more compassionate (prototypically feminine) and more agentic (prototypically masculine) prosocial behaviors with peers. Parents of 133 preschool-aged children reported on their authoritative parenting style,

attributions for childrens prosocial behavior, and responses to childrens prosocial behavior. Approximately 6 months later, childrens more feminine and more masculine prosocial behaviors were observed during interactions with unfamiliar peers and reported on by their preschool teachers. Boys and girls did not differ in the observed and teacher-reported measures of prosocial behavior. Compared to other parents, fathers of boys were less likely to express affection or respond directly to childrens prosocial behavior. Mothers authoritative style, internal attributions for prosocial behavior, and positive responses to prosocial behavior predicted girls displays of more feminine prosocial actions and boys displays of more masculine prosocial actions toward peers. Relations were similar but weaker for fathers parenting, and after accounting for mother scores, fathers scores accounted for unique variance in only one analysis: Teachers reported more masculine prosocial behavior in boys of fathers who discussed prosocial behavior. Overall, the results support a model of parental socialization of sex-typed prosocial behavior and indicate that mothers contribute more strongly than do fathers to both daughters and sons prosocial development. Malti, Tina, Michaela Gummerum, Monika Keller, Marlis Buchmann. 2009. Childrens moral motivation, sympathy, and prosocial behavior. Child Development 80(2):442-460. Two studies investigated the role of childrens moral motivation and sympathy in prosocial behavior. Study 1 measured other-reported prosocial behavior and self- and other-reported sympathy. Moral motivation was assessed by emotion attributions and moral reasoning following hypothetical transgressions in a representative longitudinal sample of Swiss 6-year-old children (N = 1,273). Prosocial behavior increased with increasing sympathy, especially if children displayed low moral motivation. Moral motivation and sympathy were also independently related to prosocial behavior. Study 2 extended the findings of Study 1 with a second longitudinal sample of Swiss 6-year-old children (N = 175) using supplementary measures of prosocial behavior, sympathy, and moral motivation. The results are discussed in regard to the precursors of the moral self in childhood.

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