The Development of Children’s Sharing Behavior: recipients’ and givers’ characteristics

This chapter examines the development of children’s sharing behavior while addressing two types of factors that shape sharing decisions at differ-ent developmental stages. First, the recipient’s characteristics, such as the recipients’ level of neediness, their group affiliation, and their identifiability and scope. Second, the prospective giver’s characteristics, such as the child’s level of theory of mind, subjective well- being, popularity among peers, and cultural background. Finally, we discuss how the interaction between the giver’s and receiver’s characteristics may affect children’s sharing decisions at different developmental stages.