Infants’ motor skills, cognitive functions and need understanding in the development of early helping behavior
Wed-H6-Talk 7-7501
Presented by: Isabelle Périard
Infants start to help early after their first birthday, and reliably help another person in need throughout their second year of life. Although recent research showed that several processes are involved in the development of this prosocial attainment, the early developmental trajectory that precedes the ontogeny of helping behavior is not well understood. Here, in a longitudinal study, we investigate how infants’ motor and cognitive functions in the first year of life contribute to early prosocial understanding and helping behavior in the second year. Motor and cognitive abilities were assessed throughout the first year (3,6,9,12 months) and subsequent instrumental helping behavior, social interaction skills and motor development at 16 months. Additionally, we investigate the role of infants’ prosocial understanding, which we assessed using an eye-tracking paradigm to test their understanding of others' needs, based on their anticipatory gaze behavior, and looking time towards expected and unexpected outcomes.
Preliminary analyses, with a sample size of N=70 indicated that children’s helping behavior at 16 months was predicted by both motor development during the first year (r(67) = .247, p < .05), and cognitive abilities at 6 months of age(r(66) = .25, p < .05). Preliminary analyses of children’s prosocial understanding at 16 months did not reach statistical significance, however, the data suggests a potential trend indicative of children’s understanding of others’ needs.
Our findings suggest that during the first year of life, motor and cognitive abilities are components of a developmental system contributing to helping behavior during the second year of life.
Preliminary analyses, with a sample size of N=70 indicated that children’s helping behavior at 16 months was predicted by both motor development during the first year (r(67) = .247, p < .05), and cognitive abilities at 6 months of age(r(66) = .25, p < .05). Preliminary analyses of children’s prosocial understanding at 16 months did not reach statistical significance, however, the data suggests a potential trend indicative of children’s understanding of others’ needs.
Our findings suggest that during the first year of life, motor and cognitive abilities are components of a developmental system contributing to helping behavior during the second year of life.
Keywords: helping behavior, motor development, cognitive development, understanding others' needs