|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
International Journal of Behavioral Development, Vol. 32, No. 2,
89-97 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0165025407084055
© 2008 International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development
Reciprocity of prosocial behavior in Japanese preschool children
Keiko K. Fujisawa
Keio University, Japan and University of Tokyo, Japan, fujisawa{at}flet.keio.ac.jp
Nobuyuki Kutsukake
University of Tokyo, Japan
Toshikazu Hasegawa
University of Tokyo, Japan
This study investigated the reciprocity of prosocial behavior among 3- and 4-year-old Japanese preschool children during free-play time. Matrix correlation tests revealed positive correlations between the frequencies of object offering given and received within dyads and between the frequencies of helping given and received within dyads. These results suggest that young children reciprocate prosocial behavior spontaneously. Positive correlations were also found between the frequencies of object offering and helping behavior exchanged within dyads, suggesting that children exchanged the two types of prosocial behaviors (i.e., "interchanged"). The interchange was independent of both reciprocity within object offering and reciprocity within helping behavior in 4-year-olds. Friends reciprocated object offerings more frequently than non-friends, suggesting that friendship affects the quantitative aspect of reciprocity. These data provide refined evidence of reciprocity among children and also suggest that reciprocity becomes more complicated as children grow older.
Key Words: friendship • naturalistic observation • preschool children • prosocial behavior • reciprocity
References
- Astington, J.W. (1993). The child's discovery of the mind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Berndt, T.J. (1981). Effects of friendship on prosocial intentions and behavior . Child Development, 52, 636—643.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Bigelow, B.J., & LaGaipa, J.J. (1975). Children's written descriptions of friendship: A multidimensional analysis . Developmental Psychology, 11, 857—858.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Birch, L.L., & Billman, J. (1986). Preschool children's food sharing with friends and acquaintances . Child Development, 57, 387—395.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Bukowski, W.M., & Sippola, L.K. (1996). Friendship and morality: (How) are they related? In W.M. Bukowski, A.F. Newcomb, & W.W. Hartup (Eds.), The company they keep. Friendship in childhood and adolescence (pp. 238—261). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Card, N.A., Hodges, E.V.E., Little, T.D., & Hawley, P.H. (2005). Gender effects in peer nominations for aggression and social status . International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29, 146—155.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Cook, W.L. (2001). Interpersonal influence in family systems: A social relations model analysis . Child Development, 72, 1179—1197.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Crawley, M.J. (2002). Statistical computing: An introduction to data analysis using S-Plus. Chichester: Wiley.
- Dreman, S.B., & Greenbaum, C.W. (1973). Altruism or reciprocity: Sharing behavior in Israeli kindergarten children . Child Development, 44, 61—68.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Dunn, J. (2004). Children's friendships. The beginning of intimacy. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Dunn, J., & Slomkowski, C. (1992). Conflict and the development of social understanding. In C.U. Shantz & W.W. Hartup (Eds.), Conflict in child and adolescent development (pp. 70—92). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Eisenberg, N., Cameron, E., Tryon, K., & Dodez, R. (1981). Socialization of prosocial behavior in the preschool classroom . Developmental Psychology, 17, 773—782.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Eisenberg, N., & Fabes, R.A. (1998). Prosocial development. In W. Darmon & N. Eisenberg (Vol. Eds.), Handbook of child psychology:Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development (5th ed., pp. 701—778). New York: Wiley.
- Eisenberg, N., Lundy, T., Shell, R., & Roth, K. (1985). Children's justifications for their adult and peer-directed compliant (prosocial and nonprosocial) behaviors . Developmental Psychology, 21, 325—331.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Goodnow, J.J., & Burns, A. (1985). A child's eye. Sydney: Alwin.
- Gouldner, A.W. (1960). The norm of reciprocity: A preliminary statement . American Sociological Review, 25, 161—178.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Guralnick, M.J., & Groom, J.M. (1988). Friendships of preschool children in mainstreamed playgroups . Developmental Psychology, 24, 595—604.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Hartup, W.W. (1995). Cooperation, close relationships, and cognitive development. In W.M. Bukowski, A.F. Newcomb, & W.W. Hartup (Eds.), The company they keep. Friendship in childhood and adolescence (pp. 213—237). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Hay, D.F. (1994). Prosocial development . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 29—71.[ISI][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Hay, D., Nash, A., & Pederson, J. (1981). Responses of six-month-olds to the distress of their peers . Child Development, 52, 1071—1075.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Hay, D., Nash, A., & Pederson, J. (1983). Interaction between six-month-old peers . Child Development, 54, 557—562.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Hemelrijk, C. (1990a). Models of, and tests for, reciprocity, unidirectionality, and other social interaction patterns at group level . Animal Behaviour, 39, 1023—1029.
- Hemelrijk, C. (1990b). Matrix partial correlation test used in investigations of reciprocity and other social interaction patterns at a group level . Journal of Theoretical Biology, 143, 405—420.[ISI]
- Hinde, R.A. (1979). Towards understanding relationships. London: Academic Press.
- Hinde, R.A., & Stevenson-Hinde, J. (1987). Interpersonal relationships and child development . Developmental Review, 7, 1—21.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Howes, C. (1983). Patterns of friendship . Child Development, 54, 1041—1053.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Howes, C. (1987). Peer interaction of young children . Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 53 (1, Serial No. 217).
- Hymel, S. (1983). Preschool children's peer relations: Issues in sociometric assessment . Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 29, 237—260.
- Kenny, D.A. (1994). Interpersonal perception: A social relations analysis. New York: Guilford Press.
- Kenny, D.A., & La Voie, L.J. (1984). The social relations model. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 18, pp. 142—182). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
- Laursen, B., & Bukowski, W.M. (1997). A developmental guide to the organisation of close relationships . International Journal of Behavioral Development, 21, 747—770.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Laursen, B., & Hartup, W.W. (2002). The origins of reciprocity and social exchange in friendships . New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 95, 27—40.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Leiter, M.P. (1977). A study of reciprocity in preschool play groups . Child Development, 48, 1288—1295.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Levitt, M.J., Weber, R.A., Clark, M.C., & McDonnell, P. (1985). Reciprocity of exchange in toddler sharing behavior . Developmental Psychology, 21, 122—123.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Manly, B.F. (1997). Randomization, bootstrap and Monte Carlo methods in biology. Texts in statistical science (2nd ed.). London: Chapman & Hall.
- Peterson, L., Hartmann, D.P., & Gelfand, D.M. (1977). Developmental changes in the effects of dependency and reciprocity cues on children's moral judgments and donation rates . Child Development, 48, 1331—1339.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Ross, H.S., Cheyne, A., & Lollis, S.P. (1988). Defining and studying reciprocity in young children. In S.W. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships (pp. 143—160). Chichester: Wiley.
- Ross, H., & Lollis, S. (1989). A social relations analysis of toddler peer relationships . Child Development, 60, 1082—1091.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Ross, H., Stein, N., Trabasso, T., Woody, E., & Ross, M. (2005). The quality of family relationships within and across generations: A social relations analysis . International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29, 110—119.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Ross, H., Tesla, C., Kenyon, B., & Lollis, S. (1990). Maternal intervention in toddler peer conflict: The socialization of principles of justice . Developmental Psychology, 26, 994—1003.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Rubin, K.H., Bukowski, W., & Parker, J.G. (1998). Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In W. Darmon & N. Eisenberg (Vol. Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development (5th ed., pp. 619—700). New York: Wiley.
- Schall, R. (1991) Estimation in generalized linear models with random effects . Biometrika, 78, 719—727.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Silk, J.B., Seyfarth, R.M., & Cheney, D.L. (1999). The structure of social relationships among female savanna baboons in Moremi Reserve, Botswana . Behaviour, 136, 679—703.
- Sokal, R.R., & Rohlf, F.J. (1995). Biometry: The principles and practice of statistics in biological research (3rd ed.). New York: Freeman.
- Staub, E., & Sherk, L. (1970). Need for approval, children's sharing behaviors and reciprocity in sharing . Child Development, 41, 243—252.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Stevenson, H.W. (1991). The development of prosocial behaviour in large-scale collective societies: China and Japan. In R.A. Hinde & J. Groebel (Eds.), Cooperation and prosocial behaviour (pp. 89—105). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Stevenson, M.B., Leavitt, L.A., Thompson, R.H., & Roach, M.A. (1988). A social relations model analysis of parent and child play . Developmental Psychology, 24, 101—108.[CrossRef][ISI]
- Strayer, F.F. (1980). Child ethology and the study of preschool social relations. In H.C. Foot, A.J. Chapman, & J.R. Smith (Eds.), Friendship and social relations in children (pp. 235—265). New York: Wiley.
- Strayer, F.F., Wareing, S., & Rushton, J.P. (1979). Social constraints on naturally occurring preschool altruism . Ethology and Sociobiology, 1, 3—11.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Trivers, R.L. (1971). The evolution of reciprocal altruism . Quarterly Review of Biology, 46, 35—57.[CrossRef]
- Uehara, I. (2004). Developmental changes in consistency of preferential feeling for peers and objects around age four . Psychological Reports, 94, 335—347.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Wellman, H.M., Cross, D., & Watson, J. (2001). Meta-analysis of theory-of-mind development: The truth about false belief . Child Development, 72, 655—684.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Youniss, J. (1986). Development in reciprocity through friendship. In C. Zahn-Waxler, M. Cummings, & R. Iannotti (Eds.), Altruism and aggression (pp. 88—106). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
S. Qouta, R.-L. Punamaki, and E. El Sarraj
Child development and family mental health in war and military violence: The Palestinian experience
International Journal of Behavioral Development,
July 1, 2008;
32(4):
310 - 321.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
