The moral self in formation: Caregiver emotional availability and early prosocial behavior predict preschoolers' moral self-concept.

IF 3.1 2区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Developmental Psychology Pub Date : 2025-01-16 DOI:10.1037/dev0001902

Lena Söldner, Markus Paulus

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Abstract

During early childhood, children develop a moral self-concept (MSC), reflecting the representation of their own moral behavioral preferences. Little is known about the developmental processes that relate to the emergence of the MSC. This longitudinal study followed participants from infancy to preschool age (n = 99-139; 49%-55% girls, 45%-51% boys, mostly Caucasian). It investigated the relations between the quality of early social interactions, prosocial behaviors, and the development of the MSC. We assessed maternal emotional availability at 1 year of age, children's prosocial behaviors (helping, sharing, comforting) at 3 years of age, and their MSC at 4 years of age. Children's comforting and sharing behavior at 3 years of age, but not their helping behavior, was associated with their MSC development. Interestingly, maternal emotional availability predicted MSC indirectly through its relation to children's comforting behavior, suggesting a mediated pathway. The study highlights developmental trajectories from early social interactions to how children think about their own prosociality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

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道德自我信息：照顾者情绪可得性和早期亲社会行为对学龄前儿童道德自我概念的影响。

在幼儿时期，儿童形成了道德自我概念（MSC），反映了他们自身道德行为偏好的表征。关于与间充质干细胞出现相关的发育过程，我们所知甚少。这项纵向研究跟踪了从婴儿期到学龄前的参与者(n = 99-139；49%-55%的女孩，45%-51%的男孩，主要是白种人)。研究了早期社会互动质量、亲社会行为与MSC发展之间的关系。我们评估了母亲在1岁时的情感可用性，儿童在3岁时的亲社会行为（帮助、分享、安慰），以及他们在4岁时的MSC。3岁儿童的安慰和分享行为与MSC的发展有关，而与帮助行为无关。有趣的是，母亲的情绪可得性通过其与儿童安慰行为的关系间接预测MSC，提示有中介途径。这项研究强调了从早期社会互动到儿童如何看待自己的亲社会性的发展轨迹。（PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA，版权所有）。

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来源期刊

Developmental Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL-

CiteScore

5.80

自引率

2.50%

发文量

329

期刊介绍： Developmental Psychology ® publishes articles that significantly advance knowledge and theory about development across the life span. The journal focuses on seminal empirical contributions. The journal occasionally publishes exceptionally strong scholarly reviews and theoretical or methodological articles. Studies of any aspect of psychological development are appropriate, as are studies of the biological, social, and cultural factors that affect development. The journal welcomes not only laboratory-based experimental studies but studies employing other rigorous methodologies, such as ethnographies, field research, and secondary analyses of large data sets. We especially seek submissions in new areas of inquiry and submissions that will address contradictory findings or controversies in the field as well as the generalizability of extant findings in new populations. Although most articles in this journal address human development, studies of other species are appropriate if they have important implications for human development. Submissions can consist of single manuscripts, proposed sections, or short reports.