The relations between values and prosocial behavior among children: The moderating role of age

Maya Benish-Weisman*, Ella Daniel, Joanne Sneddon, Julie Lee

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

Do children's values relate to their prosocial behavior? To answer this question, this study investigated N = 586 Australian children aged 6–12; the children reported their values and their prosocial behavior was assessed by peer nominations. As hypothesized, prosocial behavior was negatively correlated with self-enhancement values and positively correlated with self-transcendence and conservation values. In addition, age moderated the relations between values and prosocial behavior. For younger children, negative relations were found between openness-to-change values and prosocial behavior, but for older children, the relations were significantly positive. A mirror image appeared for the interaction of age and conservation values. The results have implications for values development among children and for moral development.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)241-247
Number of pages7
JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
Volume141
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Apr 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

  • Age
  • Behavior
  • Children
  • Moral development
  • Prosocial behavior
  • Values

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