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Shyness and Social Conflict Reduce Young Children's Social Helpfulness
Author(s) -
Beier Jonathan S.,
Terrizzi Brandon F.,
Woodward Amanda M.,
Larson Emma G.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12681
Subject(s) - shyness , helpfulness , psychology , developmental psychology , association (psychology) , social psychology , anxiety , psychotherapist , psychiatry
This study examined social influences on 3‐year‐old children's decisions to help an experimenter gain another person's attention ( N = 32). Children were slower to help the experimenter when the target had previously expressed disinterest in attending to her. Shy children were less likely to support the experimenter's attempts to communicate with the target; however, this association was not influenced by children's knowledge of the target's disinterest, and there was no relation between shyness and children's support for a separate physical goal. Therefore, young children's decisions to act helpfully incorporate consideration for others beyond a focal person with an unmet need, and they are further constrained by children's own comfort with the actions required to help.