Consistency and development of prosocial dispositions: A longitudinal study

The issue of whether there is consistency in prosocial dispositions was exa mined with a longitudinal data set extending from ages 4 to 5 years into ea rly adulthood (N = 32). Spontaneous prosocial behaviors observed in the pre school classroom predicted actual prosocial behavior, other- and self-repor ted prosocial behavior, self-reported sympathy, and perspective taking in c hildhood to early adulthood. Prosocial behaviors that were not expected to reflect an other-orientation (i.e., low cost helping and compliant prosocia l behavior) generally did not predict later prosocial behavior or sympathy. Sympathy appeared to partially mediate the relation of early spontaneous s haring to later prosocial dispositions. The results support the view that t here are stable individual differences in prosocial responding that have th eir origins in early childhood.