The development of altruistic behavior: Empirical evidence.

Placed 124 kindergartners, 2nd, and 4th graders in situations in which they had an opportunity to share. Five situations were constructed and ordered according to the sequence of stages of helping behavior development suggested by D. Bar-Tal et al (1977); each situation differed according to the conditions in which the sharing could be performed. Ss who did not share in an advanced experimental situation were provided with an opportunity to share in progressively lower level experimental situations. After sharing, Ss were queried regarding their motives for sharing. Results show that the older the Ss, the more who shared in the advanced experimental situation and the more advanced the level of motivation for helping behavior expressed; the more advanced the experimental situation in which they shared, the more advanced the level of motivation for helping behavior expressed by Ss. Results are explained in the framework of a theory suggesting that the quality of helping behavior, as expressed in the motivation to perform it, develops with age. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)