Helping and Cooperation at 14 Months of Age

TLDR

Two experiments investigated the proclivity of 14‑month‑old infants to altruistically help others toward individual goals and to cooperate toward a shared goal. Infants helped by handing over objects but did not reliably assist in complex goal situations; when a partner interrupted joint activity, they sometimes tried to reengage, suggesting awareness of interdependency, yet their coordination skills remained rudimentary compared to older infants, and the results were incorporated into a developmental model of cooperation during the second year.

Abstract

Two experiments investigated the proclivity of 14‐month‐old infants (a) to altruistically help others toward individual goals, and (b) to cooperate toward a shared goal. The infants helped another person by handing over objects the other person was unsuccessfully reaching for, but did not help reliably in situations involving more complex goals. When a programmed adult partner interrupted a joint cooperative activity at specific moments, infants sometimes tried to reengage the adult, perhaps indicating that they understood the interdependency of actions toward a shared goal. However, as compared to 18‐ and 24‐month‐olds, their skills in behaviorally coordinating their actions with a social partner remained rudimentary. Results are integrated into a model of cooperative activities as they develop over the 2nd year of life.