Reciprocal play fuels the social construction of early altruism
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Altruism, the act of promoting others' welfare, is a key aspect of human life. Is altruism a phenomenon that can be counted upon to flourish in the absence of social experience? I conducted this dissertation research in the context of research suggesting that altruism is a "natural" phenomenon that arises independent of any kind of social experience. By contrast, I propose that much of young children's altruism can be fostered by a subtle aspect of social experience. Specifically, I argue that reciprocal interactions -- exemplified in early childhood by reciprocal play -- are a plausible mechanism for the rise of early altruism. As such, Section 1 uses the methodology of research on "natural altruism" to show that reciprocal play is key for the expression of altruism in infants and toddlers (Study 1 and 2), as well as in preschoolers (Study 3). Section 2 suggests why this altruism presents itself: Reciprocal play fuels expectations of benevolence (Study 4), and when these expectations are experimentally manipulated, altruism flourishes (Study 5). Section 3 moves from examining the possibility that reciprocal play is a trigger of altruism to examining whether reciprocal play is a plausible mechanism for the socialization of altruism. Indeed, Studies 6-9 suggest that when parents practice reciprocal play, altruism flourishes across a variety of contexts. All in all, I argue that reciprocal play is a key driver for the social construction of early altruism.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2016 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Cortes Barragan, Rodolfo |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Psychology. |
| Primary advisor | Dweck, Carol S, 1946- |
| Primary advisor | Gweon, Hyowon |
| Primary advisor | Walton, Gregory M. (Gregory Mariotti) |
| Thesis advisor | Dweck, Carol S, 1946- |
| Thesis advisor | Gweon, Hyowon |
| Thesis advisor | Walton, Gregory M. (Gregory Mariotti) |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Rodolfo Cortes Barragan. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Psychology. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2016. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2016 by Rodolfo Cortes Barragan
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