Pro-Social Behavior
We studied how children of different ages and backgrounds decided to share chocolate coins with another child they don’t know.
This study helped us address a big question: What characterizes the development of altruism?
Many children who visited the Living Lab took part in the “Chocolate Coin Study”, which examined their ability and willingness to share resources with others- a measure of pro-social behavior.
The degree of sharing was assessed through several different scenarios in which children were asked to divide a certain number of chocolate coins between themselves and another child of the same age shown in a picture.
Each time, the children were asked to choose between two different ways of dividing the coins. For example: “What would you prefer- two for you and none for the other child, or one for you and one for the other child?” Or: “What would you prefer- none for you and none for the other child, or none for you and one for the other child?”
Consistent with previous research, we found a strong link between age and pro-social behavior: the older the child, the more likely they were to give chocolate coins to the other child.
We also found a slight gender difference. In some of the choices, boys showed a clear preference for the anti-social option (that is, more boys chose not to share their chocolate), whereas girls showed no significant preference for either option.
Younger children, ages 2.5 to 5, tend to behave more competitively, opting for the other child to have fewer chocolate coins even when their choice does not affect the number of coins they themselves received.
Between the ages of 5 and 8, children show a greater tendency to give to the other child, but only when doing so does not reduce the number of coins they themselves receive. By ages 8 to 11, there is already a clear preference for pro-social behavior.
Another interesting finding is that older children tend to choose the option that increases the total number of coins overall, even at a personal cost. For example, they prefer an outcome in which both children receive two coins over one in which they receive three coins and the other child receives none.
The “Pro-Social Behavior” study is still ongoing. We are currently examining the influence of factors such as parents’ level of education, socioeconomic status, and birth order within the family. For example, are firstborn children more generous than youngest or middle children?
More findings from this study- coming soon!