Prosocial development throughout the toddlerhood: A person-centred approach

Abstract

Addressing the debate on whether there are reliable individual differences in toddler's prosociality, this study employed a person-centred approach to investigate (1) profiles of instrumental helping, sharing and empathic helping at 22, 28 and 34 months, and (2) the predictive role of toddler's temperament (anger/frustration, impulsivity and inhibitory control) to these profiles. Variable-centred analyses examined cross-task and over time associations. Participants were 93 Dutch toddlers observed in standardised behavioural assessments at each wave. Parents rated their toddler's temperament at wave 1. Results revealed small but significant across-task and over time associations of the prosocial behaviours and children were distinguished into three profile groups at 22 months (high prosocial, instrumental helper and low prosocial), three at 28 months (high, moderate and low) and two profiles at 34 months (high prosocial and instrumental and empathic helpers), with low to moderate membership stability across waves. For 34-month-olds, those in the high prosocial group were rated as being less impulsive compared to their peers in the helper group. These findings indicate reliable individual differences of prosociality exist at early ages with impulsivity as a potential precursor to these individual differences.