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Unlock This CourseProsocial behaviour doesn't just appear overnight - it develops gradually as children grow up. From a baby's first smile to a teenager volunteering at a charity, helping others is a skill that grows stronger with age. Understanding how this development happens helps us see why children of different ages behave differently when it comes to helping others.
Key Definitions:
Even babies show early signs of prosocial behaviour. By 12 months, infants will point to help adults find objects and by 18 months, they'll actively help with simple tasks like picking up dropped items. This shows that the desire to help others is built into human nature from very early on.
Prosocial behaviour develops in clear stages, each building on the previous one. Understanding these stages helps explain why a 3-year-old might share their toys differently than a 10-year-old volunteers at school.
The earliest forms of prosocial behaviour appear surprisingly early. Babies as young as 6 months show distress when they see others in pain and by their first birthday, they're actively trying to help.
Babies show emotional contagion - they cry when other babies cry and smile when others smile. This is the foundation of empathy.
Toddlers begin instrumental helping - they'll point to help adults find things or hand over objects that have been dropped.
Children start comforting others in distress and begin simple sharing, though often with prompting from adults.
Researchers showed 14-month-old babies an adult struggling to reach a dropped object. Without being asked, 84% of the babies crawled over and handed the object to the adult. This shows that helping behaviour appears before children can even speak properly, suggesting it's a natural human tendency.
During the preschool years, children's prosocial behaviour becomes more intentional and sophisticated. They start to understand that others have different thoughts and feelings from their own.
Key developments include:
3-year-olds often share equally but don't consider need. By age 5, children begin to give more to those who need it most, showing developing moral reasoning.
School-age children show dramatic improvements in prosocial behaviour. They can think more logically about helping situations and consider multiple factors when deciding whether to help.
Important changes include:
Children help classmates with schoolwork, share materials and comfort upset friends more consistently.
Kids take on household responsibilities and help care for younger siblings without being asked.
Children begin to understand broader social issues and want to help beyond their immediate circle.
A study found that 6-year-olds were more likely to help someone in distress when they were alone than when other children were present. However, by age 10, children learned to overcome this bystander effect and help even in groups, showing developing social skills.
Teenagers show the most sophisticated forms of prosocial behaviour. They can think abstractly about moral issues and are motivated by ideals and values rather than just immediate rewards.
Adolescent prosocial behaviour includes:
Teenagers often use prosocial behaviour to express their identity and values. Helping others becomes part of who they are, not just what they do.
Several factors affect how quickly and effectively children develop prosocial behaviour. Understanding these helps explain why some children are more helpful than others.
As children's thinking skills improve, so does their ability to help others effectively. They need to understand cause and effect, perspective-taking and problem-solving to help appropriately.
Understanding how others think and feel is crucial for knowing when and how to help.
Children need to figure out what kind of help is needed and how to provide it effectively.
Developing the ability to think about right and wrong helps children make better decisions about helping.
The people and situations around children greatly influence their prosocial development. Family, friends, school and culture all play important roles.
Children who could delay gratification in the famous marshmallow test were more likely to help others later in life. This shows that self-control skills developed early affect prosocial behaviour throughout life. The ability to put others' needs before immediate personal desires is a key component of mature helping behaviour.
Understanding how prosocial behaviour develops helps parents, teachers and society support children's moral growth more effectively.
There are many ways adults can encourage prosocial behaviour at different ages:
Understanding developmental stages helps adults set realistic expectations. A 4-year-old can't be expected to show the same level of helping as a 14-year-old, but both can contribute in their own ways.