Pro-social behaviour

Question 1

What is pro-social behaviour, who said it?

Answer 1

Helping, comforting and sharing on the part of one person to another (Smith et al 2005)

Question 2

Pro-social behaviour has been observed at a young age, what might this suggest

Answer 2

That it is innate.

Question 3

Why do children engage in prosocial behaviour? (2 reasons)

Answer 3

Grusec (2002)
1. Motivation due to sympathy/empathy.
2. Motivation to behave in the cultural norms.
These 2 theories have been examined by experimental and observational work

Question 4

Who did a study on whether reinforcement affects pro-social behaviour? Year?

Answer 4

Gelfand 1979
21 children played a game to earn pennies, you can donate pennies to another child.
Examined the effect of promoting the child and praising the child after.
Found: Both increase donation rate.
= reinforcement can increase pro-social behaviour.

Question 5

Who did a study on whether modelling can affect prosocial behaviour? Year?

Answer 5

Grusec (1978)
Compared modelling and preaching. Watched adults either preach or give marbles to another child.
Most children who saw adult give marbles donated some.
However, 3 weeks later few donated regardless of condition.

Question 6

What are the criticism of experimental studies? Who expanded on this re-search?

Answer 6

Artificial, unfamiliar. Do the experiments merely measure conformity?
Linsenberg-Berg 1979
Used a more realistic task where the stories were relevant to the children.
Found progression from self-interest to decisions based on human rights.

Question 7

When is prosocial behaviour evident from observational studies?

Answer 7

Before 3 years old.

Question 8

An observational study on children in a nursery school? Year?

Answer 8

Einsenberg-berg 1979
Observed children in a nursery school.
Found examples of pro-social behaviour every 10-12 min on average.

Question 9

Who highlighted role of mothers behaviour using observational study? Year?

Answer 9

Grusec, (1982)
Mothers reports of prosocial behaviour in 4-7 year old. 1 event per day. Found mother almost always thanked, and encouraged children.

Question 10

What study examined the effect of parents? Year?

Answer 10

Koreans, Gibbs (1996)

Children more prosocial when mothers regularly encourage them to consider how their actions effect others.

Question 11

How might children learn their parents values?

Answer 11

Grusec, Goodnow 1994
1. Accurate understanding of parents message
2. Acceptance, by seeing the request as reasonable.
Children will not learn if they are punished.

Question 12

5 types of parental behaviour that effect development? Who, year?

Answer 12

Zahn-Waxier

1. Provide clear rules, principles.
2. Emotional conviction, explain rules with feeling.
3. Attribute prosocail behaviour to the child, child will live up to these.
4. Model prosocial behaviour.
5. Empathetic caregiving. Be living. Promotes secure attachment.

Question 13

Study on sibling? Who, year?

Answer 13

Dunn, Kendrick 1982

1-3years if a child shows concern for newborn, concern more likely 6 yrs later.

Question 14

Conclusions of sibling impact on pro-social behaviour?

Answer 14

Children who grew up with unfriendly siblings were more likely to have emotional difficulties.

Question 15

Gender study?

Answer 15

Cowie et al 2002

Girls are more prosocial than boys. Peer support threatens masculinity.

Question 16

Cross cultural differences in pro-social. Study, year?

Answer 16

Whiting, Whiting (1975) Children more pro-social in societies where there is more pressure for the mothers to work- children help more with chores.
Least prosocial in individualistic societies that place high value on success.

Question 17

What does pro-social behaviour depend on?

Answer 17

Ability to make moral judgments.

Question 18

Name the two moral theories?

Answer 18

Social learning theory (Bandura)

Cognitive Developmental Theory Piaget, Kohlberg.

Question 19

Describe social learning theory, who by?

Answer 19

Bandura.
Morals are internalised like other behaviours. Reinforcement along is insufficient.
Children imitate adult prosocial behaviour.
Which explains complex behaviours because there are a lot of people to imitate.
Internalisation of societal norms.
INGORES CHILDS ACTIVE ROLE.

Question 20

Describe the gist of cognitive developmental theory?

Answer 20

Development of reasoning ability leads to moral development.
Reasoning from experience with social conflicts.

Question 21

Definition of morality? Who by, year

Answer 21

Berk, 2006.

Something that must be true in the social world, just as conservation must be true in the physical world.

Question 22

How did Piaget assess moral reasoning in different age groups?

Answer 22

Joined in marbles game, asked where do these rules come from?
Read pairs of stories- Child broke something by accident, or while misbehaving. Which child is the worse?

Question 23

What did Piaget suggest? 3 things.

Answer 23

1. Premolar (up to 4). No understanding of rules or right/wrong.
2. Moral realism 4-10yr Actions judged according to objective damage done. Rules made by authority, fixed.
3. Moral subjectivism from 10yr. Actions judged according to intentions.
   Rules are arbitrary agreements that can be changes.
   Right/wrong determined by moral principles.

Question 24

Evolution, criticisms of Piaget theory

Answer 24

Showed that child/adult moral reasoning differs
Problem: Complex for young children, not related to experiences.
Later research shows more advanced moral reasoning at earlier age.
Too RIGID.
Assumes no further moral development after middle childhood.

Question 25

Kohlberg theory- how did he assess

What 3 levels did he find?

Answer 25

Assessed responses to moral dilemmas at interview.

1. Pre-conventional level
2. Conventional level.
3. Principled level.

Question 26

What are the 2 substages in pre-conventional level?

Answer 26

1. Heteronomous morality- Difficulty considering different viewpoints. Obedient to avoid punishment.
2. Instrumental purpose, exchange- Can consider different viewpoints, but they are concrete. Right is what satisfied indigo needs, fair is an equal exchange of favours.

Question 27

2 stages in conventional level?

Answer 27

1. Morality of interpersonal cooperation- Obey rules to uphold harmony among close contacts.
2. Social order maintenance- Obey rules to uphold harmony among society. Society’s rules vital to social order, must be upheld except in certain extreme cases.

Question 28

Final stage in principled level?

Answer 28

5. Social contract- Move beyond unquestioning support for the law. Rules are agreements that can be change to benefit majority.
   Morality in terms of universal values.

Question 29

Criticism of Kohlbergs theory?

Answer 29

Differences are due to different levels of cognitive ability but.

1. Methodological - Stages based on artificial dilemmas open to bias.
2. Cross cultural- Snarey 1985 only found stage 5 reasoning in urban cultures. Western individualistic views?
3. Gender differences?- Gilligan 1982 suggests female morality is different from male. Male based more on principles, females on people feelings.