Prosocial action in very early childhood

We tested a model of prosocial development, which predicted that prosocial action might decline, not increase, throughout childhood, becoming increasi ngly selective, individual, gender-related, and linked to emotional dysregu lation. Sixty-six focal children at 18, 24, or 30 months of age were observ ed at home with familiar peers and then again 6 months later. Episodes of p eer interaction were analysed for instances of sharing. The predicted decli ne in sharing with age was qualified by cohort differences and many associa tions with gender. Most children shared less as they grew older, but the ol dest girls slightly increased their rate of sharing over time. As peer rela tionships developed, girls were more likely to share with other girls; boys were more likely to show reciprocity in sharing. Individual differences in sharing were moderately stable over time and linked to another form of pro social action, sensitivity to the peer's distress. As predicted, children w ho shared at higher rates were rated more negatively by their mothers. The positive relationship between prosocial action and mothers' ratings of nega tive personality traits was especially strong for boys.