Infants Understand Others' Needs

Psychological Science
Moritz KösterJoscha Kärtner

Abstract

Infants begin to help other individuals in the second year of life. However, it is still unclear whether early helping behavior is based on an understanding of other individuals' needs and is thus motivated prosocially. In the present eye-tracking study, 9- to 18-month-old infants (N= 71) saw a character in need of help, unable to reach its goal because of an obstacle, and a second character that was able to achieve a goal on its own. When a third individual (a helper) initiated an action, the infants expected the helper to help the character in need (as indicated during the anticipatory-looking and violation-of-expectation phases). Their prosocial understanding did not differ between age groups and was not related to their helping behavior (measured in two behavioral tasks). Thus, infants understand other individuals' needs even before they start to help others themselves. This indicates that early helping may indeed be motivated prosocially and raises the question of which other competences underlie the ontogeny of helping behavior.

References

Mar 17, 2005·Developmental Psychology·Tanya BehneMichael Tomasello
Nov 3, 2005·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Michael TomaselloHenrike Moll
Mar 4, 2006·Science·Felix Warneken, Michael Tomasello
Nov 23, 2007·Nature·J Kiley HamlinPaul Bloom
May 27, 2009·British Journal of Psychology·Dale F Hay
Sep 1, 2009·Trends in Cognitive Sciences·Felix Warneken, Michael Tomasello
Jul 8, 2010·Developmental Psychology·Joscha KärtnerNandita Chaudhary
Aug 2, 2012·Psychological Science·Robert HepachMichael Tomasello
Sep 24, 2013·PloS One·Ben Kenward, Gustaf Gredebäck
Sep 23, 2014·Infant Behavior & Development·Joscha KärtnerJenny Collard

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Citations

Apr 18, 2018·Child Development·Nils SchuhmacherJoscha Kärtner
Oct 19, 2018·Psicologia, Reflexão E Crítica : Revista Semestral Do Departamento De Psicologia Da UFRGS·Bianca Reis FonsecaMoritz Köster
Feb 26, 2019·Frontiers in Psychology·Robert Hepach, Esther Herrmann
Mar 27, 2020·The British Journal of Developmental Psychology·Wooyeol LeeHyun-Joo Song
Mar 13, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Fransisca TingRenée Baillargeon
Oct 7, 2020·Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·Alessandra Geraci
Dec 18, 2020·Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·Wyntre StoutAmanda C Brandone
Jun 17, 2021·Journal of Experimental Child Psychology·Jellie Sierksma, Kristin Shutts
Sep 1, 2021·History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences·Santiago Ginnobili, Andrea Soledad Olmos
Oct 12, 2021·Human Development·Audun DahlTalia Waltzer
Nov 16, 2021·Child Development·Audun DahlCelia A Brownell

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Software Mentioned

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