Lesson 5: Prosocial Behavior in Children

Early Prosocial Development

• Early prosocial behaviors include spontaneous sharing and empathy, crucial for child's development.
• Research indicates that these behaviors predict future helping tendencies and emotional responsibility.
• A lack of early prosocial behaviors correlates with diminished concern for others’ emotions as children age.
• Milestones like play behaviors and the development of empathy and sympathy illustrate the growth of prosociality.

Play Behaviors

• Play is a vital avenue for understanding prosocial behaviors in early childhood.
• Peer interactions during play teach children sharing and emotional management.
• Mildred Parten's framework categorizes play behaviors into stages, enhancing understanding of child development:
  • Solitary Play: Individual play with no interaction.
  • Onlooker Play: Observation of others; indicates emerging social awareness.
  • Parallel Play: Imitation of others without direct interaction.
  • Associative Play: Sharing toys without full cooperative play.
  • Cooperative Play: Intentional interaction with increased sharing and helping behaviors.
• Children progress from solitary to cooperative play between ages 1-6, reflecting growth in social skills, cognitive development, and emotional regulation.
• Developmental milestones promote the ability to share and respond to social cues, influenced by motor skill enhancement and cognitive growth.

Empathy and Sympathy

• Sympathy: Feelings of compassion and support for others.
• Empathy: The capacity to understand and share another's feelings, often rooted in personal experience.
• Children display sympathy by feeling sorrow for others' plight, while empathy involves a deeper perspective-taking ability.
• Advanced cognitive skills enable children to empathize with experiences they haven't shared, fostering social connectivity.
• Examples illustrate the difference: a child may sympathize with a friend in distress but empathize when recalling a personal loss.
• Infants can demonstrate empathy through shared emotional responses, showing early signs of social connection.