This study examined the differences in parenting practices and prosocial behaviour in children of different ethnic groups in South Africa.Method: Two South African mothers, both with six year old children

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Developmental Psychology

PSY-484-X

Assignment 1

Topic:

The development of prosocial behaviour in early childhood: A cross-cultural study

“Prosocial behaviour is the outcome of multiple …factors” (Eisenberg & Fabes, 1998, p 742). Discuss this statement by referring to:

  1. Biological determinants        (5)
  2. Cultural factors        (5)
  3. Socialisation within and outside the family        (30)
  4. The child’s individual characteristics        (10)


Table of Contents

1        Table of Contents        

4        Practical Research        

4.1        The current study        

4.2        Results        

4.2.1        Summary of Results        

4.3        Discussion        

4.3.1        Results        

4.3.2        Comparison        

4.3.3        Ethnicity        

4.3.4        Parenting Style and Temperament of the child        

4.3.5        Limitations        

4.4        Conclusion:        

5        Schematic Representation        

7        Evaluation of my work        

8        Personal Comments        


  1. Abstract

The development of prosocial behaviour in early childhood: A cross-cultural study

Objective: This study examined the differences in parenting practices and prosocial behaviour in children of different ethnic groups in South Africa.

Method: Two South African mothers, both with six year old children, from different ethnic groups were interviewed individually and asked to complete questionnaires about their personal biography, their parenting practices and their child’s prosocial behaviour. .

Measures: Participants completed three standardised questionnaires provided by the UNISA Psychology Department: a Biographical Questionnaire, a Parenting Questionnaire and a Prosocial Behaviour Questionnaire

Results: The results revealed that the black African mother scored higher than the white mother on scores of Authoritative, Authoritarian and Permissive parenting styles, while the white mother scored lower on scores of Uninvolved parenting style. The black child scored higher than the white child on all prosocial behaviour scores (Empathy, Awareness of wrongdoing, Cooperation, Helping behaviour, Awareness of someone else’s problem) with the exception of accommodating others.

Conclusion: The sample size (n=2) of the current study is of the essence when making conclusions in the study. Only correlations can be made between the literature and the study and no hard and fast cause and effect relationships can be established. It is unknown whether the differences in prosocial behaviour between ethnic groups are related to ethnicity, parenting styles or the temperament of the child.

  1. Theoretical Review

  1. Introduction

Prosocial behaviour may be the result of many factors. The aspects that will be considered in the course of this missive are biological determinants, cultural determinants, socialisation including but not exclusive to the family, as well as the individual characteristics of the child. No one of these factors can be considered independently, but it is rather the combination of these dynamics that form an integrated model to illustrate prosocial behaviour in children.

  1. What is prosocial behaviour?

Prosocial behaviours are voluntary actions intended to benefit another (Eisenberg & Fabes, 1998). Berk (2003) uses the terms interchangeably with altruism and states that this behaviour expects no reward for the self. However, Eisenberg & Fabes (1998) define altruism as a facet of prosocial behaviour that albeit voluntary and intended to profit another, is intrinsically motivated; that is inspired by internalised values and morality, concern for others or self-reward. (Eisenberg & Mussen, cited in Eisenberg & Fabes, 1998). Altruism thus intimates morality or doing good for its own sake, while the broader prosocial behaviour might be motivated by external rewards or the avoidance of punishment. Thus, there might be motivation for the behaviour.

This writer uses the term prosocial behaviour to include all “others-oriented” behaviour whether this is internally or externally motivated. I concur with Eisenberg & Fabes (1998) that it is often difficult to ascertain the motivation of the prosocial behaviour and thus this broader term is more utilitarian in its use. I will at times specifically mention altruistic behaviour, but I do not use these two terms interchangeably.

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  1. Foundations of Prosocial behaviour

Eisenberg & Fabes state that “prosocial behaviour is the outcome of multiple …factors” (1998, p 742). These include biological factors, cultural factors, socialisation within the family and within the broader society, and the individual characteristics of the child. Each of these four factors will be discussed. A heuristic model of prosocial development will also be discussed.  

Empathy is an important precursor to prosocial development. Eisenberg & Fabes (1998) distinguish between empathy and sympathy in that they define empathy as an affection response that stems from an anxiety or understanding of another’s emotional circumstances and is ...

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