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What Factors Influence Prosociality in Young Children?
Dr. Felix Warneken
Department of Psychology Harvard University
Cooperation in humans
Prosociality Collaboration
Prosociality
Cooperation in humans
Helping Sharing
! Prosociality imposed by social environment? ! Development as internalization of social norms (Bar-Tal, 1982; Cialdini et al., 1982; Henrich et al., 2005)
! Alternative: Predisposition to develop prosocial behaviors? (Hoffman, 2000)
! Limitation: Research focused on adults & school-children (Dovidio et al., 2005; Eisenberg et al., 2006)
What are the origins of prosociality?
Hypothesis: Human socialization practices build upon a biological predisposition for altruism
Question: What are the origins of human prosociality in phylogeny and ontogeny?
Evidence: Experiments with young children: Psychological capacities for altruism in early ontogeny
Comparative studies with chimpanzees Shared vs. species-unique aspects
Research approach
1 2 3 4 5 Age 0
Early forms of
prosociality
! Cultural norms ! Social-cognitive development
What are the origins of prosociality?
Helping behaviors in young children
Helping requires: (1) cognitive understanding of other's goal
(2) motivation to act on behalf of the other
individual goal
Helping
Helping in children: Clothespin task
Helping in children: Cabinet task
Warneken & Tomasello, 2006, Science Warneken & Tomasello, 2007, Infancy
Helping in young children
• Social-cognitive skills – Early emergence (14-18 months) – Flexibility: Various goals & types of intervention
• Motivation: Costs
Warneken & Tomasello, 2012, Infancy
Costly helping
Warneken et al., 2007, PLoS Biology Warneken & Tomasello, 2012, Infancy
Helping in young children
• Social-cognitive skills – Early emergence (14-18 months) – Flexibility: Various goals & types of intervention
• Motivation: Costs – Effort: Surmounting obstacles – Opportunity: Disengaging from attractive activity
Warneken et al., 2007, PLoS Biology Warneken & Tomasello, 2012, Infancy
Warneken et al., 2007, PLoS Biology Warneken & Tomasello, 2008, Dev Psy
Helping in young children
• Social-cognitive skills – Early emergence (14-18 months) – Flexibility: Various goals & types of intervention
• Motivation: Costs – Effort: Surmounting obstacles – Opportunity: Disengaging from attractive activity
• Motivation: Rewards – Not necessary
Warneken et al., 2007, PLoS Biology Warneken & Tomasello, 2008, Dev Psy
Intrinsic motivation
*
p < .05 *
Trials with Helping in Subsequent Test Phase
" Extrinsic rewards undermine intrinsic motivation
Warneken & Tomasello, 2008, Developmental Psychology
Warneken et al., 2007, PLoS Biology Warneken & Tomasello, 2008, Dev Psy
Helping in young children
• Social-cognitive skills – Early emergence (14-18 months) – Flexibility: Various goals & types of intervention
• Motivation: Costs – Effort: Surmounting obstacles – Opportunity: Disengaging from attractive activity
• Motivation: Rewards – Not necessary – Rewards can undermine prosocial motivation
Warneken et al., 2007, PLoS Biology Warneken & Tomasello, 2008, Dev Psy
Reactive and proactive prosociality
Previous studies with young children Response to overt behavioral and facial cues
= Reactive prosociality " Can children help proactively?
Proactive helping
Conditions (between subject) Experimental Cans drop accidentally Control Cans discarded on purpose
Warneken, 2013, Cognition
Recipient during test:
• No behavioral cues • No request • No solicitation
Proactive helping
Warneken, 2013, Cognition
" Proactive helping emerges at around 25 months of age
Proactive helping
Warneken, 2013, Cognition
Warneken 2013, Cognition Warneken & Tomasello 2013, Infancy
Helping in young children
• Social-cognitive skills – Early emergence (14-18 months) – Flexibility: Various goals & types of intervention
• Motivation: Costs – Effort: Surmounting obstacles – Opportunity: Disengaging from attractive activity
• Motivation: Rewards – Not necessary – Rewards can undermine prosocial motivation
• Spontaneous, proactive helping – Children help without concurrent behavioral cues – Parental presence or encouragement unnecessary
Conclusion
Ontogeny
! Children’s social-cognitive understanding of others’ goals and their altruistic motivation enable acts of helping
Phylogeny
! Crucial aspects of human altruism in chimpanzees
! Propensity to altruistically help others emerges in early childhood
! Culture can facilitate these basic forms of altruism
1 2 3 4 5 Age 0
Early forms of
prosociality
! Cultural norms ! Social-cognitive development
Development of prosociality
The socialization of sharing
Resource sharing in adults
‘Dictator game’ as standard test of sharing
• Anonymous, one shot • No possibility for reciprocation or retaliation • Adults share on average 30% of resource
Cross-cultural studies with adults
• Variation in Dictator game offers • Western, industrialized countries as outliers
" How do children acquire culture-typical behavior?
Henrich et al. 2005
Kahneman, Knetsch & Thaler, 1986; Engel 2010
Transmission of cultural norms
Social learning
• Many culturally relevant behaviors are acquired through imitation
• Parents are at the center of introducing children the cultural norms & practices
" No experiments on the effect of parental modeling on resource sharing
Variability in socialization goals
Individualism Collectivism
Independence Interdependence
Autonomy Interpersonal relatedness
Be unique Belong, fit in
Realize internal attributes Engage in appropriate action
… …
e.g. Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Nisbett, 2003, Oyserman et al. 2002; Triandis, 1989
Collectivist culture
India • Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh
Blake, Corbit, Callaghan, & Warneken, under review
Individualist culture
USA • Boston
Blake, Corbit, Callaghan, & Warneken, under review
Method
Subjects USA N = 163 India N = 154
Age 3 to 8 years olds
Task Dictator game with candy
Design Between subject: Generous model (give 9, keep 1) Stingy model (give 1, keep 9) Control (no model)
Blake, Corbit, Callaghan, & Warneken, under review
US sample
* * *
" No parental modeling effect in Generous condition " Less sharing in Stingy condition
50%
Control Generous Stingy
India sample
Control
Generous
Stingy
India sample
*
*
*
*
Control
Generous
Stingy
" Parental modeling effect in both conditions " Effect emerges over age
India sample
50%
Control
Generous
Stingy
Hyper-generous donations
Giving more than half of resource
" US children ignore hyper-generous donations " Children from India show more faithful imitation
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
US India
% c
hild
ren
Control
Generous
Socialization of sharing behaviors
• Faithful imitation is rare: Children’s own preferences prevail • Children from India more influenced by parental modeling • Effects of socialization emerge over development
1 2 3 4 5 Age 0
Early forms of
prosociality
! Cultural norms ! Social-cognitive development
Development of prosociality
Collaborators
Peter Blake Tara Callaghan John Corbit Michael Tomasello
Thank you
Funding
National Science Foundation John Templeton Foundation European Science Foundation Harvard Mind, Brain & Behavior
Warneken lab members
Thank you
Preliminary results
Non- carriers
7-repeat carriers
0.0
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.0
No model Non-generous model Generous model
Mea
n nu
mbe
r of s
ticke
rs d
onat
ed (0
to 6
)
" 7 repeat allele carriers more responsive to generous model
Control Generous model
Stingy model
Knafo, Blake & Warneken, in prep
Longitudinal study with N = 567 twin pairs (33% DRD4 7-repeat carriers)
Socialization of cooperative behaviors
Cross-cultural differences • Children from India more influenced by parental modeling • Effects of socialization emerge over development " Effects of socio-cultural environment
Individual differences • DRD4 polymorphism: 7 repeat allele carriers are more
susceptible to environmental variables • Genetic differences in receptivity to parental modeling " Interaction of genes and environment
What elicits prosociality?
Actor Recipient
Proactive No behavioral cues
Reactive Behavioral cues indicate recipient's need
Interactive Communicative request directed at donor
Self-protective Harassment
What elicits prosocial behavior?
Agent Recipient
Proactive No behavioral cues
Reactive Behavioral cues indicate recipient's need
Interactive Communicative request directed at agent
Self-protective Harassment
Sharing and distributive justice
Study 2: Merit
Question Do children children share based upon merit?
Participants 3 and 5 year-olds (n = 18 per age)
Procedure Phase 1: Child and puppet play fishing game in parallel. Phase 2: Child distributes 6 stickers.
Conditions Success during fishing game Child/Puppet: 2/4 vs. 4/2 (within subject, counterbalanced)
Kanngiesser & Warneken, 2012, PLoS One
Study 2: Merit
Kanngiesser & Warneken, 2012, PLoS One
Study 2: Merit
Kanngiesser & Warneken, 2012, PLoS One
Warneken & Tomasello, 2006, Science Warneken et al., 2007, PLoS Biology Melis et al., 2008, Proceedings of the Royal Society Yamamoto et al., 2009, PLoS One Yamamoto et al., 2012, PNAS
Type Goal of intervention
Comforting Negative emotional state # Providing emotional support
Sharing Lack of resource # Giving food or objects to person in need
Informing Lack of knowledge # Providing useful information to ignorant person
Instrumental helping Failed attempt # Acting on behalf of person's unfulfilled goal
Warneken & Tomasello, 2009, Trends in Cognitive Sciences Warneken & Tomasello, 2009, British Journal of Psychology
Varieties of prosocial behavior
Type Goal of intervention
Comforting Negative emotional state # Providing emotional support
Sharing Lack of resource # Giving food or objects to person in need
Informing Lack of knowledge # Providing useful information to ignorant person
Instrumental helping Failed attempt # Acting on behalf of person's unfulfilled goal
Warneken & Tomasello, 2009, Trends in Cognitive Sciences Warneken & Tomasello, 2009, British Journal of Psychology
Varieties of prosocial behavior
Trial
Reciprocity: Cooperators & Defectors
Partner:
Cooperate
Defect silent
Defect verbal
" 2.5-year-olds do not discriminate " 3.5-year-olds
- More sharing with cooperators than defectors - Intention matters: Least sharing when defector articulates intention
Warneken & Tomasello, in press
Parental modeling
Prosocial behaviors in humans
Helping Sharing
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