TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - The early emergence of guilt-motivated prosocial behavior
JO  - Child development
A1  - Vaish, Amrisha
A1  - Carpenter, Malinda
A1  - Tomasello, Michael
SP  - 1772
EP  - 1782
VL  - 87
IS  - 6
N2  - Guilt serves vital prosocial functions: It motivates transgressors to make amends, thus restoring damaged relationships. Previous developmental research on guilt has not clearly distinguished it from sympathy for a victim or a tendency to repair damage in general. The authors tested 2- and 3-year-old children (N = 62 and 64, respectively) in a 2 × 2 design, varying whether or not a mishap caused harm to someone and whether children themselves caused that mishap. Three-year-olds showed greatest reparative behavior when they had caused the mishap and it caused harm, thus showing a specific effect of guilt. Two-year-olds repaired more whenever harm was caused, no matter by whom, thus showing only an effect of sympathy. Guilt as a distinct motivator of prosocial behavior thus emerges by at least 3 years.<br><br>© 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0009-3920
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12628
ID  - ref1
ER  -