Toddlers' preference for prosocial versus antisocial agents: No associations with empathy or attachment security

Lisa Loheide‐Niesmann,Ruby Hall,Maaike Cima,Hedwig Van Bakel,Jasmijn De Lijster

doi:10.1111/sode.12487

Lisa Loheide‐Niesmann, Ruby Hall + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12487

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Abstract

AbstractResearch has indicated that the majority of infants and toddlers prefer prosocial to antisocial agents, but little research has examined interindividual differences in children's preference. This study examined whether 24‐month‐olds' (n = 107) sociomoral preference was associated with attachment security or empathy, assessed with the Attachment Q‐Sort and the Empathy Questionnaire. Toddlers were presented with a puppet play, in which a protagonist tried to open a box and was helped by a prosocial agent and hindered by an antisocial agent. Then, toddlers were asked to pick up either the prosocial or the antisocial agent (manual choice), as a measure of their sociomoral preference. Of the 107 toddlers included in this study, 60.7% chose the prosocial over the antisocial agent. Neither empathy nor parent‐child attachment was associated with children's preference. Our findings indicate a slight overall preference for the prosocial agent, but with notable interindividual differences not explained by empathy or attachment.

Highlights

LOHEIDE-NIESMANN et al.Evaluating other people's actions and motives is essential for successfully navigating our social world and for choosing appropriate helping, prosocial partners while avoiding antisocial ones
Toddlers' sociomoral preference may be associated with their attachment security, since children's conscience development has been frequently theorised to be associated with the quality of the parent-child attachment relationship (Gross et al, 2017; Kochanska et al, 2004; Stern & Cassidy, 2018)
The present study examined whether 24-month-old toddlers prefer a prosocial to an antisocial agent and whether empathy and parent-child attachment was associated with toddlers' sociomoral preference

Summary

| INTRODUCTION

Toddlers' sociomoral preference may be associated with their attachment security, since children's conscience development has been frequently theorised to be associated with the quality of the parent-child attachment relationship (Gross et al, 2017; Kochanska et al, 2004; Stern & Cassidy, 2018). Previous research has found evidence for an association between infants’ attachment security with their caregiver and their perceptions of social interactions: securely attached infants expect caregivers in animated scenarios to provide comfort to children, while insecurely attached infants do not (Johnson et al, 2007, 2010) These findings suggest that the quality of toddlers' attachment experiences could affect their perception of other social interactions. The present study examined whether 24-month-old toddlers prefer a prosocial to an antisocial agent and whether empathy and parent-child attachment was associated with toddlers' sociomoral preference. The moderating effects of child gender on the potential associations between parent-child attachment quality and toddlers' sociomoral preference were examined, to explore potential gender-differential effects of the impact of mothers' and fathers' attachment relationship

| Participants

| Procedure

| DISCUSSION

Findings

Mother-child attachment